Bridegroom of Frankenstein
by Quatermass
Summary: When Harry fell through the Veil, he never expected to wake up in Romania, separated from Padfoot, on another Earth, where magic-users are very different to back home. And they're waging a war over the Holy Grail, a war he may be on the wrong side of. More complications ensue when he inadvertently summons Frankenstein's Monster...who happens to be a cute girl. Damn Potter Luck...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

So, my first _Fate/Apocrypha_ crossover, _Love and War_, was a controversial one for a number of reasons, many of them revolving around my decision to make it a bashing fic. I wanted to do another _Fate/Apocrypha_ story, preferably a Potterverse crossover, and was on the verge of giving up after so many attempts, until I had, as often the case, a fit of inspiration. In fact, in light of the pairing, calling it something akin to a lightning bolt is not inappropriate.

The original version of the story that became _Love and War, Dum Vivimus, Vivamus_, had Harry summoning Berserker of Black, aka Frankenstein's Monster, as his Servant, a Servant who would eventually become his pairing. It was shortly before I was about to publish it that I realised, it wasn't quite working. I decided to have him use Tamamo as a Caster instead, and that version of the story, _Love and War_, worked out better.

However, the notion never went away of pairing Harry with Berserker of Black, whom I have dubbed Eve ever since my _Fate/Zero_ crossover _Gorgon and Thanatos_, due to the original novel having the Monster lament to Frankenstein "_I ought to be thy Adam_". Eve gets such a raw deal in the original series, which is a shame for the most adorable and likeable take on the Frankenstein myth (and certainly the best I have seen since Shuler Hensley's hammy but sympathetic version in _Van Helsing_), so giving her a chance to shine was something I wanted to do. This is what has resulted. I hope you enjoy.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _Fate/Apocrypha_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _Fate/Apocrypha_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Eve will pound you into a pulp with her warhammer…


	2. Chapter 1: The Mysterious Intruder

**CHAPTER 1:**

**THE MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER**

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the leader of the Yggdmillennia clan of Magi of Romania, was concerned. He had only recently beaten back the so-called disciplinary squad of Enforcers, killing all but one of them with the help of his Lancer Servant, Vlad Tepes. The sole survivor was sent back with his tail between his legs and a lack of bladder control as a messenger back to those fools at Clock Tower, like a sole finger raised in insulting defiance against the organisation that had declared his clan's downfall so many decades before. Darnic knew that he had crossed the Rubicon with this act, as well as his declaration of secession from the Magus Association to set up shop, and the declaration that he possessed the Greater Grail.

A shame those fools had managed to trigger the failsafe those damnable von Einzberns left on the Greater Grail (and it made him wish that he did to them and the Tohsakas what he did to that degenerate bloodline of the Matous). Though perhaps that was for the best. After using the seven Servants to take on the Magus Association and wipe it off the map, he intended to wage a Grail War amongst his followers to prime the Greater Grail in order to access Akasha, the Root of All Things. But this way, while irritating, was fine. He could pit his allies' Servants against those that Clock Tower's pet curs could scrounge up. He had Roche summon Avicebron, the kabbalist and golem-maker also known as Solomon ibn Gabirol, as a Caster, in order to bolster his army with golems, to supplement Gordes' supply of Homunculi (to be used as servants, soldiers, and a supply of mana to the Servants when they were summoned).

The other five Servants were yet to be summoned. Gordes, Celenike, Fiore and Caules would summon their chosen Servants later, while one of their more trusted associates in Japan, Hyouma Sagara, was planning to summon Assassin, Jack the Ripper, before making his way to Romania. Clock Tower, meanwhile, were gathering their own Masters. Darnic even knew a couple of them already: Jean Rum and the Patel twins had been spotted in Romania, and there were rumours that Clock Tower was sending out feelers to the likes of Kiritsugu Emiya and Kairi Sisigou, which only spoke of their desperation, especially as the former retired some time ago.

However, a new problem had eventuated. An intruder had been found. Though to call him an intruder was perhaps a bit of an overstatement. One of the Homunculi found a boy in his mid to late teens sprawled, unconscious, in one of the gardens. In fact, the Homunculus had claimed that the boy had fallen, quite literally, out of the sky, something that would have been a preposterous notion had it not been for the fact that the Homunculi Gordes had created were basically the magical equivalent of biological robots. They were incapable of lying unless they were taught how to.

Darnic was examining the boy's effects while Homunculi medics and Avicebron tended to him. The former were to deal with his injuries and any medical issues, while the latter was examining anything to do with his magic. And Darnic was going over what had been found on the boy.

Things were not quite adding up. The boy had a wand on him, and while those weren't exactly used much these days as foci, some Magi with a bit of nostalgia liked to use wands as Mystic Codes. However, some use of Structural Analysis had Darnic surprised at the fact that a Phoenix feather was inside, a material from a Phantasmal Beast that many would kill over. And yet, the boy's glasses were rather cheap. His clothing was rather normal. But in his pockets, he had cards of famous magic users, many of whom Darnic knew didn't look like that, and others he didn't know at all. And the pictures on the cards moved. There were even shards of a mirror in his pocket, enchanted, though to what end, Darnic didn't know. Communication was his best guess.

It was about that point that Avicebron entered the room. He could have looked vaguely clownish and comical with the form-fitting robes with black and blue stripes, and the blank golden mask concealing his face, but the effect it gave was more unnerving than comical. "I have concluded the examination of the boy," Avicebron said, his calm, collected voice slightly muffled by his mask. "He does not appear to be a Magus, as there is not a single magic circuit within his body."

"And yet, he appears to have a Mystic Code with a Phoenix feather within it, in the shape of a wand," Darnic said, picking up the wand.

"I never said he does not possess magic, only that he does not possess magic circuits, at least not as we know them. Instead, he appears to have the magic core of legend, supposedly possessed by a small, select number of Magi during the Age of the Gods and the Age of Heroes," Avicebron said.

Darnic frowned. "…Impossible."

"That was my own initial thought. I triple-checked. He has massive magic reserves, though it seems that the tradeoff is efficiency. Admittedly, my analyses are still ongoing. On a hunch, I began using other methods to try and discern any magical traces on him, as did the Homunculi. They claim that they have found traces of magic similar to those recorded by Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and anyone else he deigns to transport with his power."

"Kaleidoscope…" Darnic breathed. "The Second True Magic…could Zelretch have sent the boy here?"

"Unlikely. The traces suggest a more chaotic transit, according to the analyses your Homunculus ran. If he used Kaleidoscope, it was either wholly accidental, or he made a mistake while attempting to use it deliberately. However, the traces of the Second True Magic suggest that the boy comes from another world, as does this magic core, unheard of in modern magic users. In any case, it seems unlikely that he was sent by the Magus Association."

"Unless the Wizard Marshall sent him here. I am guessing if he did so, the boy came here unwillingly. However, your hypothesis does still have merit, ridiculous though it may seem. It would explain why he has a rather well-used and somewhat badly-cleaned Mystic Code containing a feather from a Phoenix. A Magus with something like this in his possession would most likely take better care of it, unless he was an utter fool. Then again, we are yet to determine this."

"The medical Homunculi have compiled something of a medical history for the boy. He has been subject to chronic malnutrition between the approximate ages of two and twelve. He seems to have only started using magic in earnest from the latter age. There are also a number of old injuries that speak to both physical abuse as well as combat. The scar on his forehead has remnants of dark magic not unlike a phylactery, while another appears to be from a massive serpent's fang. Curiously, he has scars that make up the words 'I must not tell lies' on the back of his hand, created through some sort of magic. In addition, the boy had recently heightened stress levels, suggesting that he was in some sort of stressful, even dangerous situation prior to ending up here."

"Which could suggest a recent encounter with the Wizard Marshall. God knows Zelretch causes blood pressure to rise every time he does something, says something, or even sneezes," Darnic muttered. "But the clothing, recent damage suggests a possible combat situation. And in any case, he is rather young to be an Enforcer sent by Clock Tower, unless he is some prodigy they have kept in the cupboard."

"Then what do you suggest?" Avicebron asked.

"I think a gentle approach, for now. If he was in a combat situation and inadvertently ended up here, he may be ignorant. Should he prove belligerent or disruptive, then I will preserve him as a specimen of interest."

"If that is the case, would you consider letting me use him as a reactor core for my Noble Phantasm?" Avicebron asked. "I am struggling to find a Homunculus suitable to use for Golem Keter Melkuth, but if I make adjustments, this interloper could prove an ideal reactor core."

"We shall see. Keep undertaking the testing with Roche, Avicebron. I will go and fetch Fiore and Caules. Younger faces may reassure the boy when he wakes up…and thus help loosen his tongue…"

* * *

Darnic had many subordinates in Yggdmillennia. Some in Clock Tower derogatorily called Yggdmillennia a cuckoo clan, one that took in the remnants of decaying Magus bloodlines, or else those who were outcast from Magus society, usually for reasons that didn't involve Sealing Designations. Darnic may have been ruthless, but he also knew the value of flying under the radar until he was ready. It was why he worked hard to conceal his involvement with the Thule Society and the Nazis during the Third Holy Grail War.

In truth, he despised the Nazis and their ideology of racial superiority, and he had to give the von Einzberns some small credit for disdaining them. Darnic used the Nazis and their resources because they were useful. He'd managed to conceal the true value of what he had them steal, and then take from under their noses. He then helped, albeit covertly, the dismantling of the more competent arms of the Thule Society, distracting Clock Tower from the real thief of the Greater Grail. Then again, Darnic believed that it was his. It would be just recompense for what was done to his family and his reputation prior to the Third Holy Grail War.

In any case, Darnic preferred competent subordinates whose usefulness exceeded any…quirks they may have had. Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, for example, was a sadistic bitch, though she could restrain herself (with a Herculean effort) and had proven to be useful. Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia was a pompous arse, but he was excellent when it came to Homunculi, with the Musik family being one of the more prominent ones after the von Einzberns, even if their star was on the wane. Roche Frain Yggdmillennia was a cheerful little misanthropic child genius, though this was partly because he had been raised by golems rather than parents (and Darnic thought it apt that the little brat would be the one to be the Master of Avicebron: the two were birds of a feather).

And then, there were the Forvedge siblings. He had to admit, of his subordinates, despite their age and their hidden empathy, a weakness to any Magus, they were perhaps his most competent people. Fiore, despite a plethora of magic circuits in her legs confining her to a wheelchair, was a prodigy when it came to magecraft, even being able to use a Bronze Link Manipulator to manipulate a quartet of magecraft-animated robotic limbs. In the unlikely event that he perished, he had nominated her as his successor, and few dared to dispute that. And while Caules was nowhere near as talented as his sister in magecraft, his use of technology and his research skills certainly impressed Darnic. The boy knew his limits and worked within them, while his sister constantly strove to surpass them. They were also the more calmer, more normal members of his more trusted subordinates. That, plus the relative similarity in age, was why Darnic summoned them to be with him when he spoke to the interloper. He had opted not to bring any Servants, for now. The boy might get the wrong idea if Vlad III showed up, as the former voivode of Wallachia detested the infamy he had as a vampire thanks to Bram Stoker, and Avicebron would be unnerving.

As they waited for the medical Homunculus to wake the boy up, Darnic studied him. A messy shock of black hair framed his features. A lightning bolt-shaped scar marred his forehead, part-hidden by his fringe. He seemed a touch scrawny, and remembered Avicebron's report of chronic malnutrition. While Darnic was a cruel man in many regards, he would never deliberately starve a child unless it served his ends.

Eventually, the boy awoke, his eyes opening to reveal emerald orbs. He grimaced in pain. "…My glasses…where are my glasses?" He spoke in English, with a British accent. That wasn't assuring if he wasn't a Clock Tower agent.

The Homunculus tending to him handed them over to him, and he put them on, before peering at them. "Where am I?" he asked, before looking at Darnic. "Who are you?"

"Given that you have trespassed on my property, young man, I believe I should be asking the questions. However, as you seem to have appeared on my property out of thin air, and have been under stress lately, I will give you some leeway," Darnic said imperiously, but courteously. "I am Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, and these are fellow members of my clan, Fiore and Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia. You are currently within my family citadel in Trifas, Romania."

"Romania?!" the boy yelped in clear surprise. "Not London?! Not the Ministry of…" He caught himself about to say something.

"You are on the other side of Europe to London, young man," Darnic said. "And we are aware that you are a Magus, a magic user, albeit of an unusual type."

"…So you know of the Ministry of Magic? The Statute of Secrecy?" the boy asked suspiciously. "Wait…Romania…do you know of Voldemort?"

"Those names are meaningless to me," Darnic said. "There is no Ministry of Magic in Britain or indeed anywhere in the world. Only the Magus Association, more popularly known as Clock Tower. I suppose Atlas would count if you considered alchemists. Statute of Secrecy? Well, magecraft is to be kept hidden from the world at large. Does the name Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg mean anything to you?"

The boy shook his head. "Should it?"

Interesting. The boy appeared to be telling the truth. He also seemed worried, not about any secrets concealed, but something else. "Perhaps not. Tell me…did you happen to be working with some sort of means of magical travel? Or came across some sort of portal?"

The boy frowned, and he eventually nodded. "I was…I was in a fight, and my godfather, he was about to fall through some sort of archway. I grabbed him, we fell through…and then I was here. There was nobody else with me?"

"I'm afraid not. You were found alone. However, I have considerable influence within Romania, and I can have the Magi under my aegis search for him. Forgive the interrogation, but you have come at a precipitous time for Yggdmillennia. That being said, may I have your name?"

"…It's Harry. Harry Potter." And for a moment, he seemed expectant, as if he was famous.

But the name didn't ring a bell with Darnic…

**CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry's ended up in the clutches of Yggdmillennia. How long before he finds out what is really going on?**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	3. Chapter 2: A Small Matter of Secession

**CHAPTER 2:**

**A SMALL MATTER OF SECESSION**

Harry was trying very hard not to panic. Here he was, in Romania, and, if what Darnic told him before leaving, he was on another world, a parallel version of Earth. His friends could be dead or dying within the Department of Mysteries, Sirius could be anywhere, and he was stuck here.

For a moment, Darnic took the other two, the brown-haired siblings, out of the room, apparently to confer, before the two came back in. They were a boy and a girl, a little older than him. The boy, Caules, reminded him of himself, and not just because of the glasses, but there was some of the timidity he used to have before he spent long enough at Hogwarts to shake that off. Fiore reminded him a little of Hermione, and he felt another pang at the thought of his friend (even after they kept him in the dark, he still thought of Hermione as a friend), possibly dead thanks to Dolohov's curse.

He wasn't sure whether he could trust them. Hell, after being kept in the dark by his friends, being forced to endure Umbridge's detentions, Snape's idea of Occlumency lessons, and bullshit from every corner, he wasn't sure he could trust anyone anymore. But he remained calm. In fact, he felt less angry and irritable than he had for a long time. He needed to find out more about his situation, and how he could get out of it.

He was led to a shower, and then given new clothes, though he noted they didn't return his wand yet. Then, he was led to a drawing room, where one of the many similar people with light brown hair and pink eyes served tea. Homunculi, Fiore identified them as, a form of robot created by magecraft.

"You miss your home, don't you?" Fiore said gently as she sipped from her cup. Her tone was pleasant and reassuring.

"My friends may be dead. I was fighting a warlock called Voldemort," Harry said.

"A warlock…Uncle Darnic said you may have come from another world. We rarely use the term warlock these days to denote rogue Magi. Unfortunately, I doubt that Uncle Darnic will let you go any time soon. While we do believe that you stumbled across us by accident, we are in the middle of a rather delicate situation. Yggdmillennia is about to secede, that is, break away from the Magus Association."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

"A number of reasons. The Magus Association is a calcified organisation that refuses to recognise talent or merit, instead relying on the prestige of lineage. True, magecraft gets stronger with each generation of Magi, but they are hostile to newcomers and new blood, as well as those who do not fit into their preconceived notions," Fiore said. "Indeed, they have been known to destroy anyone they deem unfit to be part of their circle. Uncle Darnic fell victim to such scapegoating. Clock Tower claimed his bloodline would fall within a few years, and he was abandoned by those he considered his allies. That was over eight decades ago."

"Eight decades ago?" Harry asked. Darnic looked like he was in his twenties, maybe his early thirties at the oldest. "Does he use the Philosopher's Stone or something?"

"Philosopher's Stone? Does that exist on your world?" Caules asked.

"I don't think that is the case," Fiore said. "I mean for Uncle Darnic to have used something like that. As secretive as Magi are about research, I think we would have heard something by now. However, there are many ways to extend life, even if they are risky, even the benign ones."

Harry frowned. That wasn't reassuring, but he decided to put that on the backburner for now. "Well, the Philosopher's Stone exists…well, used to exist on my world, but if you're breaking away from this Magus Association because they're like the Ministry back home…well, how are you going to stop them?"

"Ah, now that's the clever bit," Caules said. "We have what is known as the Holy Grail. Well, not the cup of Jesus Christ like you'd think, but rather, a magical artifact created two centuries ago. You see, back then, three Magi families came together to try and find a way to Akasha. Akasha, you see, is the Root of All Things. It's basically the source of all knowledge and magic. The von Einzberns of Germany, the Makiris of Russia, and the Tohsakas of Japan. But, in order to make sure the Grail reached Akasha, it needed power, and they decided to make a contest of it."

"The Holy Grail Wars of Fuyuki," Fiore said. "What they devised seems rather convoluted, but seven Magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to act as familiars."

"Heroic Spirits?" Harry asked.

"Yes, the spirits of heroes from myth, legend and history," Fiore said. "The likes of King Arthur, or Heracles, or Alexander the Great. These familiar forms of Heroic Spirits are called Servants, and each belongs to one of seven classes: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Berserker, Rider, Caster, and Assassin. Once six of the seven Servants have been felled, the Grail is primed to grant a single wish to the surviving Servant and their Master. This is why the Servants assent to become familiars, as they frequently have wishes of their own. Uncle Darnic has already summoned a Lancer Servant, whom you will probably meet before long. In life, he was Vlad III of Wallachia, better known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Count Dracula."

"And if you value your life, do NOT mention Dracula around Lancer, please," Caules said. "He hates being thought of as a vampire."

"Right, got it," Harry said. He personally thought this sounded insane, but these two didn't seem insane. And he'd hate to piss off Vlad Tepes, given the man's infamous cruelty.

"Hmm. However, this Holy Grail War is different. Instead of a battle royale between seven Servants, there are now two opposing teams. The hidebound fools at Clock Tower have apparently dubbed us the Black Faction, and they call themselves the Red Faction, as if to sound righteous," Fiore said. "They do not like that we take in Magi who have reason to despise Clock Tower. That being said…once the conflict is over, we might be able to help you find your way back home."

"How?"

"One of the top Magi at Clock Tower is the wielder of the Second True Magic, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, better known as Zelretch. He has the ability to view and traverse parallel universes. However, given our schism from Clock Tower, contacting him to help you is understandably a dangerous thing to do. Should we succeed, though, we can negotiate with him from a position of strength, and even if we fail, Zelretch is notorious for disdaining the usual politics of the Magus Association, so he should be willing to help, theoretically."

Caules grimaced. "Assuming he doesn't put you through the grinder on a whim," he muttered.

"Caules, he only does that to his apprentices," Fiore said. "And not to all of them. I'm sure he'd help someone in need. However, the situation as it is now would prevent Harry from being able to contact him safely." She turned her gaze back to Harry. "Uncle Darnic has effectively declared war on Clock Tower with his declaration of secession. It is perhaps safest for you to remain here, at least for now. Don't worry, unless you are actively fighting on our behalf, it is against the rules for enemy Magi to target you."

Harry groaned. "That's not reassuring. I'm just in the middle of another bloody deadly magical tournament…"

* * *

"Hmm…a rather interesting occurrence, then, Darnic," Vlad III remarked, toying with a glass of wine. He took the form of a pale man with blonde hair framing handsome but sharp features. His eyes were sunken, but piercing. "And you are sure this intruder is not your enemy?"

"Not in the sense that he is one of Clock Tower's curs, Your Majesty," Darnic said, in a deferential tone. Not oleaginous or obsequious, but with the respect the former voivode felt he was due. "That being said, I have the sneaking suspicion that he is…young, impetuous, and with principles that will be rather annoying. If we are lucky, then he will not interfere, and once this fracas is over and done with, well, we can send him off to Zelretch, make him the Wizard Marshall's problem."

Darnic actually had no intention of doing so. Avicebron's analysis had stuck in his mind, and Darnic was considering something. He remained youthful by fusing with the soul of an infant when need be. And while it was a risk fusing with an older subject, the benefits could be worthwhile. Even if the risk was too much, Darnic could always vivisect him, find out how to replicate this magical core in Magi. Always assuming, of course, that Darnic failed in reaching Akasha, which he didn't intend to do, but it was good to have contingencies, just in case.

Darnic had even idly considered using him as a Master in the upcoming Grail War. His massive reserves would be more than capable of maintaining a Servant. However, he had dismissed it almost as soon as he thought of it. The boy had uncertain loyalties, and they certainly weren't aligned with Yggdmillennia. Putting such a wild card in charge of a Servant would be a disaster in the making. Hopefully, Fiore would allay his suspicions for now, as would Caules. Young they may be, but they were also competent in many regards.

"While an offence committed in ignorance is an offence all the same, I will be magnanimous and overlook it," Vlad said. "I presume he will be monitored?"

"At all reasonable times. I will have a Homunculus tend to his needs, as well as keeping an eye on him," Darnic said. "I will also ensure he is away from the summoning in a few days' time, just in case. We don't need a Master whose loyalties are uncertain."

"Of course not. But it may do him good to meet those we are summoning afterwards. What person wouldn't want to meet heroes from history and myth? Though I do hope your chosen successor will ensure that he does not mention that abominable work, or what that vile author claimed me to be," Vlad said.

"I will speak to him anyway, just in case," Darnic said.

"Good. And remember my admonishment to you on the related matter," Vlad said, his eyes narrowing and peering at Darnic.

Darnic bowed and made the necessary agreement. Of course, he didn't intend to keep it. If need be, he would force Vlad to use his Noble Phantasm, Legend of Dracula, which would forcibly transform Vlad the Impaler into the very thing he despised. A vampire, a Dead Apostle. Vlad had threatened to kill Darnic if he ever tried to force Vlad to use it, but Darnic didn't care. If the situation called for it, then Vlad's desires could go fuck themselves. Darnic was a Magus. He would do anything to gain what he desired. It didn't necessarily mean he would actually do anything, but morality was for lesser beings. Besides, even if Vlad Tepes wasn't a vampire, he was still a brutal and sadistic ruler who had a rather nasty habit of impaling his subjects as much as his enemies. If he hadn't wanted to be seen as a more literal monster than most, maybe he might have toned it down a tad.

Still, hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. Vlad III gained a significant boost in power being on his lands, where he was viewed as a national hero. In addition, his other Noble Phantasm, Kazikli Bey, was very potent, as those Enforcers sent to assassinate him learned. It could form stakes from the very bodies of those opposing Vlad, or from the ground. It was the very essence of impalement distilled into a Noble Phantasm. Against a group of humans, it was devastating. Against Servants…well, it ought to be an awe-inspiring sight.

Forcing his Servant to use Legend of Dracula would only be a last resort, obviously. He needed his Servant willing to help, after all. And despite his bloodthirstiness and capricious nature in life, Vlad was actually quite urbane and pleasant, as long as you didn't bring up the bloodsucking elephant in the room.

Still, what to do about Harry? And where was that godfather of his? Because he knew that the pair of them would be trouble…

* * *

Kairi sighed as he watched the boy hurry away to Lord El-Melloi II's office. He'd been led by the cheerful, if clumsy, brat to Rocco Belfeban's office in Clock Tower. Apprentice Magi were so damned cheerful these days. Still, it wasn't a wholly bad thing.

The leonine bounty hunter and necromancer had been summoned by Belfeban on a matter of some importance. Given that Belfeban was the Head of Summoning at Clock Tower, well, Kairi wasn't sure why the man wanted him, though he heard rumours lately. Something big was happening in Romania.

He knocked on the door, and heard a rasping voice come from within, bidding him to enter. The old man with the tinted glasses and careworn face must be Belfeban, but there was another man there, a man with dark hair, a neat beard, and grey eyes. He also had a tenseness to him, not anything dangerous, but he looked concerned and worried about something.

"It's a pleasure to meet you at long last, Kairi Sisigou. I've heard a lot about you and your exploits, especially those missions you have undertaken for us here at Clock Tower."

"And this is?" Kairi asked, indicating the other man, who stood, and shook his hand.

"My name is Sirius Black. And like you, I've been dropped into this mess…though I probably have been dropped into it more literally than you have…"

* * *

The Throne of Heroes. An existence somewhere between Valhalla and the collective consciousness of humanity. Here exist heroes and villains and those inbetween, those that made their mark on the human psyche. Soon, many will be summoned, like many before them.

A boisterous woman with red hair. A blonde girl with anger and loneliness warring in her heart. A silver-haired wandering knight. A pink-haired, energetic crossdresser. A centaur who was tutor to many on the Throne.

And, unbeknownst to the one in question, a girl with red hair and mismatched eyes. In life, she was denounced as a monster. She'd done many horrible things out of desperation. Loneliness plagued her.

_I want a mate_, she thought to herself. _Someone to share my heart with. I do not wish to be lonely anymore_.

Soon, she would hear a voice calling her. But as she would answer the summons, she would find something else calling out to her. Someone who was also lonely. Someone who could see her for something other than a monster.

**CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry's learned about the Holy Grail War, Darnic is scheming, and Padfoot is about to join forces with one of the more badass necromancers in fiction…**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Eve

**CHAPTER 3:**

**EVE**

Harry wished he could witness the summoning, to be perfectly honest. He was promised that he could come and meet the Servants summoned, having already had a tense but cordial meeting with Vlad III. The man was actually quite nice and civil for someone who, the myth of Dracula aside, was infamous for impaling so many people, and they eventually had something of an interesting time discussing their fame and infamy.

He'd also met the Caster Servant they had summoned. He was called Avicebron, another name for Solomon ibn Gabirol, a Jewish poet and kabbalist of some note who had lived in Spain back in the 11th Century. Harry didn't know what to make of the man, other than creepy with that damned mask and his too-calm way of speaking. His Master Roche also freaked him out a little with his fanboyish gushing about golems. He was a bit like one of the Creeveys, though thankfully without a fixation on Harry.

Of the other inhabitants of the castle, he got along best with the Forvedges. Celenike already put him in mind of a more sane (or at least less overtly insane) Bellatrix Lestrange, despite her attractive figure. Gordes reminded him too much of his uncle, though unlike Vernon, the pompous prick with the Hitleresque moustache was at least somewhat civil and polite to him, even answering some questions with delight.

However, Harry got the sneaking suspicion that they were hiding things from him. It felt like the past year he had just gone through at Hogwarts, only with less Umbridge (thank Merlin for small mercies). And he felt ill at ease around the Homunculi. They were basically androids and gynoids, virtually emotionless. At least House Elves wanted to serve, but these guys had little choice (he knew Hermione would be up in arms about it if she ever came here). And they always had one attending him, nominally as a servant, but he also knew that they were a spy.

He gave demonstrations of his magic to the Forvedges, with Darnic often looking on in curiosity, along with the occasional appearance of Avicebron. He didn't show off everything he could do, keeping some cards close to his chest, especially given Darnic and Avicebron's scrutiny. However, in a sort of quid pro quo, he learned something of the magic of this world, generally called magecraft.

While there was considerable snobbery about lineage here as back home, at least here it was a little justified. The longer a Magus family's lineage in using magecraft, the greater their connection to magic, personified by the use of Magic Crests, clusters of magic circuits that were passed down through the heirs to the families. Fiore was the current holder of the Forvedge Magic Crest. And while a bit stern towards her brother at times, Harry found himself liking them.

The reason why he wasn't there at the summoning was explained very frankly by Fiore. Harry was an outsider, one who was a magic user and whose loyalties were unknown. Even if he didn't interfere deliberately with the summoning, something could still go awry inadvertently. And knowing how mercurial his luck was, he couldn't help but agree. He didn't like it, but he could do without Sod's Law rearing its ugly head again.

Darnic had told him that his people had found no sign of Sirius within Romania yet. However, the last Masters of Red had apparently arrived in Romania, so Harry wouldn't be safe outside the castle. Magi from Clock Tower could potentially kidnap him and interrogate him on any information about the castle, its defences, and the true identity of the Servants Yggdmillennia had summoned.

Still, Harry couldn't help his sense of unease growing. He had the feeling that he was on the wrong side of this Holy Grail War, that he was stuck here. Too many questions, not unreasonable ones, had been deflected. And while many others were answered, he was sure that he was being told lies of omission. The shock of ending up in this strange place had blunted his anger and irritation, which had been something of a familiar feeling during his previous year at Hogwarts, and he felt far less of it than he did before, but even so, he could feel it beginning to bubble up again. Thankfully, Caules had seen fit to set up a camera in the throne room where they were doing the summoning.

There were four doing the summoning: the Forvedges, Gordes, and Celenike. Another Magus was in Japan, intending to summon the Assassin Servant. Caules and Fiore were going to summon Berserker and Archer respectively, Gordes would be summoning Saber, and Celenike was summoning a Rider.

It was a bit strange, the whole class thing for the Servants. Sabers were pretty self-explanatory, being swordfighters, while Casters and Assassins were also self-explanatory, the former being powerful magic users, and the latter masters of stealth. Lancers were amongst the faster of the classes, and used spears, polearms, really, anything long and pointy that didn't count as a sword. Archers weren't just bowmen, but could use any long range attack. A Berserker traded their sanity for power and tenacity, while Riders were known for their mounts or vehicles, and frequently had a variety of Noble Phantasms, the name given to a Servant's unique abilities, weapons, or armour.

He watched as the four Magi began speaking in unison after the ritual circles were drawn out, holding their hands out over their respective circles. "_Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning! I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world! Seventh Heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of the Scales!_"

It was a shame, really. Having a hero as his familiar, as a companion, would have been awesome. But he didn't want to get caught up in this shit. He'd already gone through one lethal magical tournament already. He didn't need to go through another.

Unfortunately, Sod's Law chose that moment to remind Harry that he was its bitch.

Just as the screen dissolved into a flare of bluish-white light, Harry suddenly hissed in pain, clasping his right hand. As he stared, a strange crimson symbol etched itself onto the back of said hand. It looked like a lollipop, flanked by lightning bolts.

"…I didn't ask for a tattoo there," Harry muttered, as the Homunculus hurried over. The bright side was, it obscured that damned scarring Umbridge had inflicted on him with that damned quill of hers.

She examined his hand, frowning, before gasping. "Command Seals!" she hissed.

"…What?" Harry asked. He knew what they were. Darnic had explained that every Master in a Holy Grail War gained what was known as Command Seals, a form of magical binding connecting a Master to a Servant. They allowed a Master to give an absolute command to their Servant up to three times. Once those three times were used up, the pact was severed, and the Servant was free to do what they wished to their Master, should they feel any ill will towards said Master. A Servant could, in order to remain in this world, make a pact with another Master.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine, and he had his gaze drawn back to the TV. He didn't realise the Homunculus had left until he heard the door shut. On the screen, he saw Caules examine his hands, and then begin whispering to his sister. They began a slight argument, while the Homunculus appeared on the screen, and began talking to Darnic quietly. The Magus frowned, and then asked her some questions of his own, before nodding. He didn't look happy, but he went down to join the Forvedges, and spoke quietly to them, along with the Homunculus. Caules slumped a little, but his sister gave him a reassuring touch on his hand.

Then, Darnic sent the Homunculus away. Soon, she re-entered the room. "Please, come with me."

"…I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"Lord Darnic has received my report that you showed no suspicious behaviour during the summoning process. Therefore, he has told me to tell you that you will be given the benefit of the doubt. Also, it appears that you are the Master of Berserker. Therefore, he wishes for you to come and meet with your Servant."

"…Oh, _great_…"

* * *

He could feel their eyes on them, though he was more worried about Caules. He knew Caules was the one summoning Berserker, so even if it was accidental, he had stolen Caules' Servant. "Sorry," he said to Caules.

"Hey, it's fine," Caules said with a reassuring smile that did little to mask his disappointment, but thankfully, no rancour. "I'm a pretty inept Magus anyway."

_So, which one are they?_ Harry thought to himself, looking at the four Servants. The muscled man in armour with tanned skin and silver hair could have been, but he seemed too calm to be a Berserker, and Gordes was standing near that one. There was a pink-haired girl in black with a white cape over her shoulders, peering at him curiously, but he wasn't so sure she was the one. Neither was the brown-haired man with green eyes examining him with a calm gaze, and given how close he was standing to Fiore, he seemed to be Archer. Finally, there was a girl, seemingly about his age, dressed in a bridal gown. What looked like metal headphones seemingly covered her ears, a horn of the same material protruding from her head. Her cute features were mostly obscured by a messy fringe of red hair, but he got an air of curiosity and shyness from the girl.

Caules, noticing Harry's confusion, indicated the red-haired girl in the wedding dress. "This is Berserker, Harry."

"Her. A Berserker," Harry said flatly. "She seems too calm and cute to be one."

"Hrrn?" The girl in question tilted her head in a rather endearingly quizzical manner, grunting softly. The pink-haired girl snickered, while a wistful smile touched the brown-haired Servant's lips.

"…That wasn't an insult," Harry clarified hurriedly, just in case she got annoyed. "I'm just…confused."

Berserker, after a moment, trotted up to Harry. He noted that her legs seemed to be either clad up to the knees in metal, or else were metal themselves. He realised he could see her eyes, just barely, through her fringe. One was blue, a brilliant sapphire, while the other was golden. She was peering at him curiously. After a moment, she grunted, apparently satisfied.

"Are we going to accept this?" Celenike asked in a querulous tone. "He is not part of Yggdmillennia."

"We had a Homunculus monitoring him during the time of the summoning. He showed no sign of interfering from the summoning from afar. Indeed, he seemed surprised rather than pleased," Darnic said. "As long as he has an eye kept on him, I won't object to him being the Master of Berserker. Of course, if Harry does not wish to be Master of Berserker, he can forfeit his Command Seals willingly, and Berserker can be reassigned to Caules."

"…I'll stay with her for now," Harry said. "Is that okay with you, Berserker?"

"Hmm!" That was accompanied by a nod.

* * *

The meeting went on from there. Harry learned that the pink-haired girl was Astolfo, one of the 12 Paladins of Charlemagne. And judging by the way that she snickered knowingly when Gordes complained about not having the cute girl as his Servant(1), well, Harry began to wonder whether she was, indeed, a girl. Archer was Chiron, the centaur tutor to various Greek heroes. Gordes vetoed his Saber Servant from revealing his name, much to Celenike's anger.

The biggest surprise came when Caules revealed the true name of Berserker. Harry couldn't believe it, and as he retired to a study with Caules and Fiore, their Servants in tow, he was muttering, "…Frankenstein's Monster…was a _girl_. **_What_**."

"Hrrrngh!" Berserker growled in annoyance.

"No, no, it's just…in the original novel, you were a man!" Harry said hurriedly to the red-headed Servant. "Hermione had me read it during my fourth year. I was astonished. You were a Homunculus or something, brought to life partly by electricity. I'm not trying to piss you off, I'm just…trying to get to grips with it."

"Hrrnnn…" she groaned in irritation.

"…Well, I'd prefer to call you something other than Berserker, you know," Harry said. "Berserker isn't a name, and calling you a monster is just rude. What about Fran?"

Berserker shook her head with an angry grunt, before grinding out the first word he'd ever heard her speak. "Ber-ser-ker!"

"That's not a name. It's like calling me the Boy Who Lived all the time. I got sick of it! You need a name…" Harry frowned.

"Is this necessary?" Fiore asked.

"I daresay it is," Chiron said. "The bond between Master and Servant is about trust, after all. Though what is this Boy Who Lived appellation?"

"Annoying," Harry said shortly. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Got it! In the novel, the monster said to Frankenstein that he ought to have been his Adam. So…I think I'll call you Eve! How about it?"

"…Eve…" Berserker murmured, repeating the word, rolling it on her tongue. Then, a small smile touched her lips, and she nodded, her grunt having the air of approval about it.

"Well, there you go!" Harry said, smiling at her. "It's nice to meet you, Eve!" He held out his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, she took it, shaking it, sealing the deal.

Well, here he was, stuck in another potentially deadly magical tournament, only more so. But still, maybe there was something to be gotten out of it. Maybe he had some new friends in the making. Then again, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about this whole thing, like he was on the wrong side…

* * *

Sirius Black was enjoying himself. He had to admit, he was as surprised as Kairi that Mordred turned out to be a blonde teenaged girl of the same age and eye colour as his godson. He got a bit worried when Mordred held a sword to Kairi's throat for calling her a girl, but he also found it perversely funny. But once that was done, he made his own summoning. Apparently, the Magus originally intending to summon Rider chose to summon Lancer instead, after the original intended Master of Lancer fell ill shortly before heading to Romania. Which meant that Sirius was summoning his own Rider.

When he blinked away the afterimage from the summoning from his retinas, he stared at the figure thus revealed. Part of his brain plugged into his libido panted _Hummina hummina hummina!_ Because this woman was _hot_.

Red hair, almost pink, fell to her shoulders, framing a beautiful face, marred only by a scar bisecting it. Nonetheless, it didn't detract from her sexiness. If anything, it enhanced it, as did the old-style nautical captain's outfit that was straining to contain a rather large bust. In fact, she looked like some sort of pirate queen.

"Servant Rider has answered your summons," the woman purred in a husky voice. "I ask you, are you my Master?"

"Of course!" Sirius said, holding up his hand with the Command Seals with a grin.

"Aye, that's what I like to see," Rider purred. "A man who knows what he wants. So, I'm guessing these two are comrades, right? A Saber by the looks of it, and her Master."

As Mordred growled, Sirius said, "Yes. May I ask who you are?"

Rider, after a moment's consideration, grinned. "Very well. Engrave this into your memories! I am Francis Drake, _el Drago!_ The woman who brought down the sun!"

**CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry's inadvertently become Frankenstein's Master, and Sirius is now the proud Master of everyone's favourite buxom redhead pirate, Francis Drake.**

**1\. A reference to a gag in the first episode of ****_Fate/Apocrabridged_****. After Astolfo snickers, Vlad asks, "Who's going to tell him?" Darnic responds with, "Nobody. Nobody, and that's the joke".**


	5. Chapter 4: Tests and Bonds

**CHAPTER 4:**

**TESTS AND BONDS**

On the grounds of the Yggdmillennia castle, on the side away from the town, Harry and Eve stood with Caules as the Magus directed some golems to parts of the hilly area near the castle. As he directed the golems, Caules said, "I knew I wasn't that good a Magus, so when I was asked by Uncle Darnic to summon a Servant, I did my research. Berserkers generally are mana-hungry, but I found out, after looking at possible Servants, that Eve fit the bill. She's actually quite energy efficient."

Eve seemed to be happy with the praise. "In what way?" Harry asked.

"She has a skill called Galvanism, allowing her to absorb excess mana in the air, as well as anything left over from her attacks. Those things on her head do that, as does that orb thing on her hip. It basically turns into her own supply. In addition, electricity can be used to recharge her."

Harry nodded. It had been odd, having her in the bedroom with him. Thankfully, it had another bed, and after some persuasion, Eve rested on it. Servants could go into spirit form, a process called Astralization, but Eve seemed reluctant to do so, and Harry didn't feel much different. No sense of exhaustion or being drained. So he let her have her way.

"So, are we testing her Noble Phantasm?"

"Yes. Or rather, both of them. She has two. The first is her weapon, called the Bridal Chest on her blueprints," Caules said, indicating the weapon Eve held in her hand. It was like a pole with a large metal sphere on the end, and Harry knew this was what was depicted on his Command Seals, rather than a lollipop. "That sphere contains her heart, for want of a better term. It's basically the reactor core that keeps her going, and is a large part of her Galvanism skill as well. The second Noble Phantasm is a stronger ability, Blasted Tree, allowing her to summon bolts of lightning with the Bridal Chest. That being said, at full power, it's dangerous to her. At best, it'll disable her. At worst, she will die due to running out of energy. So I don't want her to use Blasted Tree at full power."

"Got that, Eve?" Harry asked. "Can you use Blasted Tree on the safest level?"

Eve nodded with her usual grunt of affirmation. She then waved Harry and Caules away. Lightning seemed to crackle around the Bridal Chest, her growl building into a chilling screaming wail of fury, before she smashed the massive weapon into the ground, cratering it, and sending a massive bolt of lightning into the sky. Bolts of electricity soon smashed down into the golems, blowing them to smithereens. As Harry and Caules stared in astonishment at the attack, Eve turned back to them, as if to ask, _Well? How did I do?_ She had the air of a dog asking for affirmation from their owner.

"That…was a D-Ranked Noble Phantasm," Caules said flatly.

"Wow," Harry said, looking over at Eve, who seemed to be enjoying their astonishment. "Great. Though…how would that do against another Servant?"

"Weaker ones like a Caster or an Assassin could be killed by such an attack, especially if they were a weaker form of said class," Caules said. "But stronger ones are another matter entirely. And Eve's strength is pretty low-tier. But her durability is another matter, and while she still has Madness Enhancement, the Berserker trait that enhances their strength at the cost of their sanity, it's at a low enough level that she can not only follow orders with ease, but work well in a team."

"Well, I'll probably have to ensure Eve's working with another Servant as support then," Harry said. "Hey, by the way, Eve…if I wasn't here, would you have been fine with Caules as your Master?"

Eve seemed to ponder this for a moment, before she nodded with one of her affirmative grunts. "Thanks, Eve," Caules said. "That means a lot to me. Though…why did you choose Harry? I mean, assuming you did choose him somehow. I'm just curious."

Eve, after a moment's thought, pointed to herself. "Lonely," she ground out. Then, she pointed to Harry. "Lonely." Then, she pointed at Caules. "Fam-il-y. Sister."

"…Yeah, I guess you're right. In a way, I am glad you didn't become my Servant, Eve. It's a bit disappointing not to have a shot at the Root, but…it would mean having to fight my sister eventually. She's a way better Magus than I am, and a better fighter too. She may consider herself to be as cold-blooded as most Magi are…but she's a good person," Caules said with a sigh. "But still, it may be that we would be forced to kill each other. Magi are pretty cold-blooded. What's more, if a Master is still alive, they can potentially contract with a Servant who doesn't have their Master. So it makes sense from a tactical standpoint to kill other Masters. In other Grail Wars, there's usually a sanctuary overseen by the Catholic Church to act as a neutral zone where vanquished Masters can shelter for the remainder of the Grail War. We don't have that luxury here."

"Joy," Harry said flatly. "It's even worse than the Tri-Wizard Tournament…"

* * *

"So, you've elected not to tell the boy of the presence of his godfather on my lands?" Vlad III asked Darnic as they convened.

"No. Given that he was spotted in the company of Kairi Sisigou, a mercenary Magus we suspect to have been hired by Clock Tower as one of their Masters, and that he himself may be one, I don't think we should risk him learning, or else he may attempt to defect to the Red Faction and take his Servant with him. Given the mediocrity of Frankenstein's creation compared to our other Servants, his Servant may not be the problem as much as his magic. In fact, I'm wary of getting Celenike to use a curse on him to control him, in case his school of magic has something that can remove it with ease, as his magic, while inefficient, is also overpowered in some regards. He may be inexperienced, but given what he spoke to me about his life, as well as the Forvedges, it would be unwise to underestimate him. He's a fighter. Instead, I believe capturing Sirius Black is a priority."

There was another reason Darnic didn't want to use a curse on Harry, one he didn't admit out loud to Vlad. Celenike might get too enthusiastic, and it may taint the body he was considering fusing with, to gain Harry's magic. Celenike loved using curses that couldn't be removed, and tended to test the boundaries of her relationship with Darnic, bordering on insolence. But with Sirius in his custody…

Darnic had gotten a description of Sirius from Harry, and the man had even used his own name on his travel documents when he first arrived in Romania. The sheer unmitigated gall and arrogance of the man, and yet, it would be unwise to underestimate him. If he shared the same magical ability as Harry, he also might be older and more experienced, with a wider variety of spells.

"I see. You intend to use his godfather as leverage to control him," Vlad said, nodding in understanding, and even approval. Taking hostages was a sound strategy at the time he lived in. Indeed, Vlad and his brother Radu were sent by his father as hostages to the Ottoman Sultan Murad II.

"Yes. We will make a probing attack against Kairi Sisigou and Sirius Black tonight, along with their respective Servants, as they've doubtlessly summoned them. We could test their power and ability. I'll have the Forvedges distract Harry and his Servant while we do so. Once we have the opportunity to capture him, we'll bring him to the castle. If Sagara and his Assassin were here, then it'd be easier, as Assassin could remove Black's Command Seals, preferably while we are distracting the Servants. We could take out Kairi Sisigou and bring in Black in one fell swoop. Simply doing the same to Harry may end with Berserker turning on us, and while I have every confidence in her being put down quickly if need be, unnecessary damage to our forces and holdings would be incurred."

"Agreed. I would also suggest that he does not learn about the Homunculi being used as mana batteries, if you haven't thought of that already."

"I have, Your Majesty."

"Good. He reeks of rebellion, that boy. A righteous heart, true, but he seems to be naïve, not understanding the sacrifices one has to make in order to lead or rule. However, he certainly knows when to be respectful. And his fame on his own world was something he was concealed from. Poor boy. If that old fool who placed him with those animals wasn't a fool, well-meaning or just plain foolish, then the boy has been honed into a very potent weapon. Not in terms of magic, but in a rather suicidal display of heroism. That is most certainly not an effective way to be a renowned hero…"

* * *

In another dimension, in a darkened schoolyard, a red-haired boy with golden eyes, and an Archer Servant slash Counter-Guardian with tanned skin and white hair sneezed simultaneously. Unfortunately for the boy, the man in the skintight blue plugsuit ripoff and wielding a crimson phallic spear heard the sneeze…

* * *

The day passed fairly quickly. Harry had to deal with Astolfo, who was running around the castle, looking at everything. He was curious about a lot of things, including Harry. As it turned out, Harry managed to get the answer out of Astolfo: yes, Astolfo was male, he just liked crossdressing. Harry was a bit weirded out at how cute and feminine Astolfo was, but the Rider was so damn cheerful, Harry got used to him. Eve didn't seem to agree.

Some of the time was spent with the Forvedges and Chiron. Chiron was filled with interesting anecdotes about training the likes of Achilles and Heracles. Eve seemed to like this better: the centaur (who had taken a more human appearance to avoid people discerning his true identity) was an amiable, calming soul.

However, she seemed to prefer sitting in one of the gardens of the castle, playing around with the flowers. And Harry stayed with her, to keep her company. She may be called a Servant, and given what he read in the book, Frankenstein's Monster had committed a number of murders to get revenge on Frankenstein. And yet…he didn't see a monster in Eve. Still, could that mean he could trust her? He'd been too trusting, and his prior year at Hogwarts had shown how readily that trust would be betrayed. He had the Command Seals, true…and yet, they felt too much like the Imperius for him to consider using them readily.

On a whim, he had taken a notepad from the desk in the room he had been assigned. He then handed it to Eve when she looked up from her activity. "You might not be able to talk properly, but can you write?"

Eve seemed to consider this, before she began writing. Eventually, she handed it back to him. There, in a flowing script, he found, _Yes. It takes an effort due to the Madness Enhancement, but I can write. Did you want to communicate, Master?_

"Well, for yes and no answers, your usual responses will suffice," Harry said with a wry smile, which then fell off his face. "And don't call me Master. Call me Harry. I'm just curious…how much of the novel was true? I mean, I was told Servants get information from the Grail about the modern day and how they are perceived."

Eve took the notepad back from him, and thought for a moment, looking pensive, even anxious. She hesitated. Eventually, she wrote, _A lot of it. One of the biggest differences was my gender, obviously. My creator…he wanted an Eve, and intended to use me to bear Adam. But when I first was brought to life…I'm not like the movies. I'm not actually made of corpses stitched together per se. Corpses were used to make me, but flesh was pretty much a key ingredient in some ways of creating Homunculi in those days. I think in many regards, I'm closer to a cyborg by today's reckoning. My innards are partly metal_.

To illustrate this, Eve tugged on one arm with another. The flesh came away, revealing a mass of cables. As Harry stared in horror, she replaced it, and the flesh seemed to flow back together.

"…What about the deaths you caused?" Harry asked quietly.

Eve looked away, once more hesitating. Eventually, she wrote in the notepad, _I did kill. The first death I caused was a puppy. When I first awoke, my creator was horrified at me. I had this body, but the mind of an infant, and no real understanding of empathy. He called me a hideous monster. The dog…I thought it was attacking me. And then, when I saw its guts, I came to an understanding. I thought it was because I had no real viscera that I was ugly. I was, admittedly, born yesterday at the time, and had no idea of what I was doing then. My creator promptly dismembered me, deeming me a failure. But I literally pulled myself back together…and began to live amongst people, as best as I could. Most people considered me a freak. But some took pity. The blind man De Lacey and his family…they were real. I learned from them. But they were much kinder to me as a whole compared to how they treated my counterpart Mary Godwin wrote about_.

"So…you didn't kill people just because?"

She shook her head. _But…when I realised how badly my creator mistreated me…I was filled with anger and rage. I lured him away and confronted him, demanding he give me a mate. Unlike the novel, where he worked on said mate for a time before changing his mind, he refused straight away. I confronted his fiancée, and she mocked me. So I killed her, and others, in a fury. I'm not proud of what I did. In fact, I hate myself for it. I drove my creator away, and pursued him to the Arctic. But unlike the novel, I did not go into the frozen wastes to die. Instead, I returned to Switzerland, and eventually became part of the household of Lord Byron. And eventually…I met her. Mary Godwin. A good woman, and a kind one. By that time, I had come to try and atone for my sins, as well as see if I could recreate my creator's work and make myself a mate. But without success. I died shortly after meeting Mary Godwin, in a fire I started trying to make a mate, caused by a bolt of lightning. What brought me to life also took me out of it. So…you hate me, don't you?_

Harry considered this. While part of him felt outraged about her killings, a more vocal part of him felt sorry for her. Given how he was treated by the Dursleys, he wondered if he would have ended up the same way. And Eve didn't have the air of someone who didn't care about their deaths. She looked remorseful, ashamed of herself. Plus, she had been honest to him, more than many people he could name lately. "…I'm not saying what you did was right. But…Frankenstein didn't try to make an effort to help you, did he? All he did was bring you to life. If he had treated you a little better, would you have turned out better?"

_I don't know. So, you don't hate me?_

"I'm willing to give you a chance, to prove you're not a monster. Because what I see is a shy girl who never really got a proper life, who never got someone to love her, right?"

"Hrnn," she acceded.

"And Eve…thanks for being honest with me. A lot of people hadn't been to me lately." He gently hugged her. She stiffened briefly under his embrace, before relaxing. "Eve…we're in this together. I'll tell you about my past too. You don't mind listening, do you?"

She shook her head, grunting as she did so.

"Okay, so…where do I begin?"

**CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry has learned more about Eve, and Darnic is plotting. Now, he really should have put the curse on Harry (based on one Celenike uses to control Reika and thus Jackie in ****_Apocryphal Variance_**** by Trick N. Zwei), but he's making a mistake of overestimating some of Harry's abilities…while not knowing that Harry could potentially know how to Apparate. Then again, he doesn't want a curse tainting a body he might take over.**

**As for Harry trusting Eve, despite her life story, keep in mind, he values her honesty, and he's also a little smitten. As she confessed what she did (this is my own embellishment and extension of her backstory from canon, with her going back to Switzerland to redeem herself, meet Mary Shelley, and die trying to create her mate all my creation), he's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, especially given how her creator treated her. He sees a lonely girl, not a monster. Plus, with his relationship with Cho Chang having gone south thanks to the events in Book 5, he's sort of latched onto Eve. Plus, better to be nice to the hot-tempered redhead who can smash you into a pulp, right?**

**I also included a little note on Vlad Tepes' earlier life as a hostage to the Ottoman Sultan, along with his brother Radu. I actually like the version of Vlad Tepes in the Nasuverse, though it seems to gloss over his atrocities in favour of making him more like a dignified king.**

**Review-answering time! I noticed how apt you thought it was that Sirius summoned Drake, of all people. I had considered other Servants, but when you think about personalities and the like, Francis Drake is probably right up Sirius' alley. A hedonistic pirate woman who, despite her Chaotic Evil alignment, is a fairly decent person (if ****_Fate/Grand Order_**** is any indication)? Yeah. **

**The only other Servants I considered were Medusa as Rider or Tamamo-no-Mae as Caster. Having done the latter for ****_Love and War_****, I felt it'd be better if I tried something new. I'm actually still considering a Harry/Drake pairing story, amongst so many others, but that's most definitely on the backburner.**

**framfrit****: I decided to skip that bit, and go straight to the summoning chant. Caules intoning the extra line was probably unnecessary, as the only other class that I can think of that Eve can get summoned under is Saber, and that's her summer version from ****_Fate/Grand Order_****. Even if he was intoning it, Harry was hearing the chants as a whole, and Caules chanting his line was probably drowned out by the others. I know in the TV series, they alternate between lines, but here, they chanted it together.**

**Jostanos****: If you saw the pairing tags, you'd know this to be the case. I considered adding Moedred to the pairing with Harry and Eve, but decided not to.**

**Skull Flame****: Actually, it's Saber's Master, Gordes. It's based on a joke from Episode 1 of ****_Fate/Apocrabridged_****, where Gordes goes, "Aw man, I vish I got zat one! She looks very cute!" Astolfo promptly snickers, Vlad asks Darnic who's going to tell him the truth, and Darnic responds "Nobody. Nobody will, and that's the joke." In the next episode, while Astolfo's off to stop Spartacus, Roche asks Avicebron, "Has Gordes realised he's a dude yet?" Avicebron responds, "No. And that amuses me."**

**Blazeit****: Kairi is the closest thing to a one-man right side, at least in the earlier stages of the Grail War. Of course, after Darnic has his fatal encounter with Shirou Kotomine, Yggdmillennia become the heroes, more or less.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	6. Chapter 5: The Homunculus Secret

**CHAPTER 5:**

**THE HOMUNCULUS SECRET**

Harry Potter, Eve decided, was an anomaly. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He intrigued her partly because of the fact that he was an anomaly. And she herself was an anomaly, a Homunculus created by Frankenstein in his obsession with creating life.

What drew her to him when she was first summoned was more instinct than anything else. The Caules boy would have made a fine Master, she felt. But there was something in Harry's soul and magic that called to her, and given that her instincts had been heightened as a Berserker, she latched on.

She knew, thanks to the Grail, that the popular conception of her these days, aside from her gender, was as a lumbering imbecile. She actually felt mildly insulted about it. Madness Enhancement may have robbed her of her speech, but rational thought was possible, albeit with an effort, and her intelligence was still there. But the Madness Enhancement brought her more animalistic elements to the fore.

As her Master slept, she began roaming the castle. Because she was born from a blast of electricity, she was particularly conscious about saving it when it wasn't in use. She'd switched the lights off in the room they shared, as well as the computer. She decided to find whoever was in charge of the power in this place and give them a pre-written note on the importance of saving electricity.

She had to admit, Harry took it better than she thought. Her admitting her past, anyway. But then again, she opted to admit it because of a few reasons. The first, and perhaps most important, was that she had been hated and feared all her life, so she decided, in a fit of resignation, to tell him, get it over and done with, so that she could be resigned to being despised. The second was that she had already sensed that he hated people keeping things from him. And the third, well, he was her Master. If he really wanted to, he could have used a Command Seal.

And while he was wary of her, he opted to give her a chance. He even spoke to her about his own life. And now, she knew why his soul called to her. He'd known loneliness and alienation, to be set apart. True, he had a better life than her, and he was famous, but the latter was because he survived something his parents didn't.

And even though he was wary of her…he gave her a hug. A few, really. To someone as starved of affection as Eve was, it was like a glass of water given to a man traipsing through the desert.

And he gave her a name. True, so did De Lacey. But calling her Belle, or beautiful in French, felt like a lie to the self-loathing Homunculus, who was denounced as ugly by her own creator (she would never dignify the likes of Victor Frankenstein with a title like 'father'). She'd kept the name, true, but only as a handy pseudonym. Eve, however, felt like…well, it was like she had learned what her name truly was. Hell, she wished she had thought of it too. But from Harry, the name felt like a gift. A gift she wanted for a long time.

"…Eve…" she murmured to herself as she strutted down the corridors, testing the feel of her name on her tongue. A smile touched her lips.

"You seem to be enjoying the gift your Master gave you."

The low, gentle tone of Chiron came from nearby, and Eve turned to face him. "Hrn?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you. Do you mind?"

After a moment, Eve shrugged. Of the other Servants of Black, she liked Chiron the most. Caster creeped her out, Astolfo irritated her, Vlad Tepes intimidated her, and the stoic Saber hadn't spoken to anyone since he was ordered not to by his Master. So she went into the room he was using. The Servants had bedrooms of their own, though Eve had indicated she wanted to stay close to her Master.

After closing it, Chiron looked at Eve. "I think your Master is in very great danger. My own Master and her brother have been speaking to Darnic, and while my loyalty to my Master prevents me from going into greater detail of what they spoke of, they are worried about the loyalties of Harry, and thus yourself. While this is understandable, given that your Master is an interloper and wasn't meant to be your Master, I worry that Darnic has designs on Harry. Fiore and Caules do not wish him harm, but their loyalty to and fear of Darnic is greater than any goodwill they have towards him. And sadly, the other Masters of Yggdmillennia are consummate Magi, ruthless and cold-hearted, willing to kill if it means finding a way to the Root."

Eve peered at Chiron, trying to discern what his motives for this warning were. Eventually, she managed to speak, "…Why…warn me?"

"Because your Master reminds me of some of my students. And from what Fiore told me, his only wish is to be reunited with his friends, something that he could potentially do if he contacts the Wizard Marshall. He doesn't have any real desire for the Grail. I think something will force him to break away from Yggdmillennia. Would you remain with him even then?"

A stupid question, but Eve nodded. "Good. I hope it won't come to that. My Master, I believe, has a good heart, as does her brother. But their loyalty to Darnic is strong, strong enough to potentially overcome their qualms. Even if they won't take overt action against your Master, they may not come to your defence. I will try to use my influence over them to help, but I fear it will be minimal at best. That being said, if you have cause to flee the castle, I suggest that you seek out Ruler."

Eve frowned. Ruler, the Grail provided, was an atypical Servant summoned by the Holy Grail in cases like this, where you had two teams of Servants. Ruler effectively acted as a referee. "Where's…Ruler?" she forced out.

"She's on the move. She's been tracked by Avicebron's surveillance golems, the bird-like ones. They found her while she was hitch-hiking across Romania. It appears that she is possessing a human, but her signature as a Servant is unmistakeable. She looks like a blonde girl in her late teens, with amethyst irises. According to the Grail, a Ruler has to be a saint of some kind, or else something not unlike one, one who can work objectively. That does narrow it down. Gordes has gone with Saber to greet her, and to attempt to entice her back here. Of course, trying to bring her back by force is undesirable and would reflect badly on Yggdmillennia, so Gordes is under orders to return if negotiations fail."

Eve pondered this. Eventually, she asked, "Ruler…help?" She cursed her Madness Enhancement for robbing her of the ability to speak proper sentences. She was far more intelligent than her speech suggested.

"In prior Grail Wars, a member of the Church would preside over a sanctuary area where Masters who lost their Servants could take refuge. In addition, they would arbitrate over any disputes. Ruler may not be able to offer you sanctuary, but she may be able to offer you a solution. That being said, there's another solution. You may be able to take refuge with the Red Faction, specifically the Masters of Saber and Rider. I was not privy to their observations of them, but Darnic had some golems and Homunculi sent to test those Masters and their Servants. They may be willing to accept you two as allies."

Eve nodded in gratitude. While one lot of Magi may be as bad as another, if Yggdmillennia showed themselves to not be to her Master's liking, they may have to do just that…

* * *

Harry woke from a disturbing dream. He'd dreamt of memories from Eve's point of view, of seeing her creator disgusted and afraid of her, before she had even done anything wrong. He had seen her muddling through her new existence, before events gave her an understanding of the cruelty of the world and humans, but also kindness. He saw her life, felt her anger and despair and regret. He felt her desire to atone for her crimes, and her desperation for a mate. Returning to Switzerland, living, for a time, under the aegis of the infamous Lord Byron, and meeting Mary Godwin, later better known as Mary Shelley, and telling her her story. Then, her death, consumed in flames, screaming in despair and defiance at the night sky.

He knew now what she felt, assuming the dreams were real. They felt like those dreams he had of Voldemort…but less intrusive. More natural.

He sat up, in time for the door to the bathroom to open, and Eve to step through, towelling her messy mop of red hair. She froze, as did he. She was completely naked, and clearly just finished having a bath or a shower. A blush exploded on her face, a blush he knew was mirrored on his own, and she hurriedly grabbed her clothes and went back into the bathroom.

"…Well, Frankenstein wasn't talking about her physical beauty, not unless he was a complete bloody moron," Harry muttered to himself, trying to ignore the _very_ conspicuous erection beneath his bedsheets.

Eve eventually re-entered, still blushing in embarrassment. Thankfully, his arousal had died down enough to be less conspicuous. She indicated the bathroom with a grunt.

"Okay, but…Eve, I need to ask something. Last night, I had a dream. I saw…your life, I think. What was that all about?"

Eve thought, before she went over to the notepad, and wrote something down. _It may be the Dream Cycle. Masters and Servants can dream of each other's pasts. You saw mine?_

"Yeah. I'm…sorry for doubting you. I could feel your remorse and sorrow at what you did. So…that's your wish for the Grail, right? Is it for a mate? Someone who'd love you for who you are?"

"Hrn!" she said, nodding.

"Well, that's one thing you're not. A monster. True monsters don't feel remorse for what they did," Harry said, getting up off the bed. "If you could have, you would have brought them back to life, right?"

"…Hngh," she agreed morosely.

"Then there you go. Besides…your creator was a dick. He didn't even try to teach you how to be human. You taught yourself, with the help of De Lacey and his family. You still need to make up for what you did in a big way…but you actually want to, which is fine by me. Just remember, we're allies, not Master and Servant. I'm Harry, not 'Master'."

After a moment, she hugged him, gently, angling her head to avoid the horn on her head from hurting him. Then, quietly, she said, "Harrryyy." It was spoken with an effort, just like everything else she spoke, but it was clear what she said. "…Thank…you. I'm…_happy_."

"…You're welcome, Eve."

* * *

Unfortunately, that happiness wouldn't last. Shortly after having his shower and dressing, and having breakfast in the room, Harry intended to do some study of the Grail War, based on a book Caules had gotten him. However, Astolfo came in, with the body of a half-naked Homunculus draped over his shoulder. Harry had made some snarky remark about Astolfo needing to use his own bedroom for nefarious activities, but Astolfo had countered that his Master had a bad habit of breaking into his room and dragging him off to molest him.

Astolfo then summoned Chiron, who tended to the Homunculus as he lay on Eve's bed. "…So, what's wrong with him? And why is he here in my room?" Harry asked.

Astolfo and Chiron looked at each other, before Astolfo said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Wellll…I kinda found him while wandering the castle after my Master had finished giving me a good licking. And nope, that is NOT a euphemism, she gets off on licking my body. She's hot, but she's also all kinds of nope, you get me? Anyway, I found this guy dripping wet and begging me for help. So I helped him."

"As for what is wrong with him…he's opened up his magic circuits fully for the first time," Chiron said. "Opening up magic circuits for the first time is traumatic and painful. In addition…his muscles are being used for the first time as well. Indeed, this is the first time he is actually breathing air rather than oxygenated fluid." Then, after some consideration, Chiron said, "Harry…what I am about to tell you…it's clear my Master has kept from you. Please, while you may be angry with her, do not do anything rash, or I will be forced to defend her."

Harry felt some dread run down his spine at the words. "…I make no promises. What does this have to do with this Homunculus?"

"…I think he was one of those that are being used as a mana battery."

Harry stared at Chiron in shock. "…What?"

"When a Servant is summoned normally, they subsist on the mana supply given to them by their Master," Chiron explained. "However, this can put the Master at a disadvantage if they need to use magecraft. My Master spoke of a strategy the late Lord El-Melloi, Kayneth Archibald, used in one of the Auxiliary Grail Wars prior to this one. He had his fiancée supply the mana, and Lord El-Melloi kept the Command Seals so that he could use his magecraft and Mystic Codes with impunity. It's a similar situation here, except that Yggdmillennia uses spare Homunculi as an energy supply. There's a whole room of them, filled with tanks where these Homunculi are, on life-support, while their mana is siphoned away."

Harry felt a surge of anger at that, but before he could say anything, he felt Astolfo's deceptively strong hands on him. "Hey, calm down! Do you think I like this, or Chiron does?" the pink-haired crossdresser yelped. "I only learned about it yesterday! They told me that the Homunculi used as batteries were vegetables, with absolutely no self-awareness whatsoever. Hell, they only have a soul because a soul is needed for magic circuits! And then, I find this guy on the floor, asking for my help. Do you think I'm a monster who would not help someone who needs it? Otherwise, I would've have told the other Homunculi looking for him that I hadn't seen him. Uhh…I mean I would've told them I had seen him. I mean, don't you know who I am?"

Harry stared at the crossdressing Rider flatly. "I know virtually nothing about you, Astolfo. So how would I know what sort of person you are? I know of Charlemagne, but not you."

"Ouch," Astolfo muttered with a wince. "No wonder I'm such a weak Servant if kids these days don't know anything about me…"

"Harry." Chiron's voice brought Harry's attention to him. "The Homunculi being used as our power source are, for the most part, lacking in self-awareness. And my Master does not view them as human. They are viewed as servants, with a lower case 's', there to do the bidding of their creators. Fiore and Caules would view this as a necessary evil, given their conviction in fighting for Yggdmillennia, and I am bound to follow my Master's orders. I hope to guide them both onto a more righteous path. However, that does not mean I agree with this, nor will I alert the others to this Homunculus' presence in your room. I assume you want to help him?"

"…Yes. If he wants help…then I'll help him. Hermione, my friend…she once said I have a saving people thing. But…I don't think I can work with Yggdmillennia anymore after this." He wasn't going to go charging in half-cocked to berate them either. The last time he went charging in, he and Sirius were stranded, in another world.

Chiron nodded. "I understand. Know that I will have to fight against you and Eve if my Master orders it, especially if she uses a Command Seal. But I do not wish to. And I can tell Eve is entirely dependent on your own supply of mana, rather than the Homunculi." He smiled. "You remind me so much of my students, Harry. Achilles, Heracles, Ajax, Asclepius, Jason, Theseus, Perseus…I have taught so many. Some went down dark paths, and others went down glorious ones. If you do indeed have a saving people thing, then I hope you continue. But…a word of warning. To save one is to not save another. Even if you do not kill one to save many, you cannot save everyone. To go down that path is a road of madness."

"Maybe." Then, Harry's emerald eyes met Chiron's similarly-coloured ones. "But I'm not going to let that stop me giving it a damned good try…"

**CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry and Eve have bonded further, but now he's discovered the truth about the Homunculi. Oh dear. Shit's about to go down…**

**I should really bring up here that I've taken a little artistic licence with how I've characterised Eve in this story. When she's coherent and really energetic as a Saber (at least in terms of her speech: the background on the wiki states that she's like a lazy pet dog), she's more childish in many regards. I have to admit, I didn't want to go for that. **

**I had in my mind that Eve was basically a female version of the Monster as he was written by Mary Shelley in the novel. For those who haven't read it, the Monster is more eloquent and intelligent, at least once he reunites with his creator. They tried to do something similar with the Kenneth Branagh-helmed movie in the 90s (where the Monster was played by Robert de Niro), as well as Shuler Hensley's turn in ****_Van Helsing_****, which, despite the movie's faults, is still an entertaining ride, and Hensley, as I mentioned in my foreword to this fic, remains one of my favourite versions of the Monster. They also did something similar for the horror TV series ****_Penny Dreadful_****, as well as the adaptation of ****_Dean Koontz's Frankenstein_****.**

**While Eve has a grand total of two ****_coherent_**** lines in canon ("Ber-ser-ker!" and "I'm taking…you with me….SABER!"), I wanted to do her character justice, both the Nasuverse version and Mary Shelley's original version. I was considering making her a deadpan snarker via telepathy (or notepad) as she's portrayed in Episode 2 of ****_Fate/Apocrabridged_****, but that didn't quite work, as much as I wanted it to. Instead, I think this version of Eve is a rather soulful, introverted being who yearns for love and affection, and who is rather intelligent. Yes, she'll move on instinct in battle, but in quieter moments, well…**

**Review-answering time! ****Skull Flame****: Uhh, Demiurge? If you're talking about Mare, Demiurge knows he's a boy already, he's just confused by why Mare wears girly clothes. Other characters in ****_Overlord_**** aren't so lucky. Igvarge thought him a girl up to the moment Mare stoved in his skull, and Hilma took a moment to realise Mare was a trap, though she did realise what gender he was. Incidentally, it was Shirou who sneezed, but it was Cu Chulainn (Lancer) who heard it.**

**ZLC genesmith****: Keep in mind, Arturia had to conceal her gender to become King, presumably with Merlin's help and a BS story about her being an eternally youthful boy. Plus, while you are correct in that there have been plenty of female warriors in previous myths, I'm guessing England became a lot more misogynistic between the exodus of the Romans and Arturia's advent. I think of her more as a tomboy who made herself mentally a boy (rather than being born that way) because a knight could only be male.**

**bradw316****: Exactly. I wouldn't pair him with Jackie or Elizabeth, though. I do intend on stories pairing Harry with Nero, Atalanta, and Altera sometime in the future, along with my Harry/Arturia story ****_King of His Heart_****, but they're on the backburner.**

**Guest****: True, Harry could use a Command Seal to remove her Madness Enhancement, but if he uses them all up, he will lose his bond with Eve. The magical part anyway. I considered doing what I did with ****_Dum Vivimus, Vivamus_****, and having Harry use his magic to do so, but I thought that was a bit too convenient. **

**Also, yes, Chiron IS a centaur, but as a Servant, he takes the form of a man with a horse tail, rather than a part-man, part-horse. He explains to Fiore in canon when she remarks on his appearance that this is to avoid people from discerning his true name too readily, as he is one of the most famous centaurs. Of course, even a horse tail can be problematic. In Episode 2 of ****_Fate/Apocrabridged_****, he tells Astolfo that the next time he wants to get medication, he can do it himself: "Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is for a man with a ****_horse tail_**** to get through a pharmacy full of old people without weird looks?" Look up either the Type Moon wiki's page on Chiron, or else do a Youtube search.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	7. Chapter 6: The Parting of the Ways

**CHAPTER 6:**

**THE PARTING OF THE WAYS**

"This place is so bloody creepy," Mordred groaned as she toyed with a skull she had found loose within the dark crypt the quartet were residing in. "Tell me, why the hell are we staying here anyway?"

"Because your magical energy will regenerate much faster in this place," Kairi said.

Francis Drake rolled her eyes, the buxom redhead reclining against a nearby wall, perfectly at ease, a bottle of beer in her hand, an esky(1) next to her filled with more bottles. "You've never had to be a sailor, have you, Mordred? Believe me, there are worse places to sleep in on the high seas and on land. Hell, I've even slept on piles of gold, and while it's a novel thing to do, it's also uncomfortable as hell, even if you've drunk enough to numb your body."

"Can it, Pirate Queen," Mordred retorted. "And speaking of booze, can I have some?"

"No!" Kairi and Sirius chorused. However, Drake, without heeding the Masters, tossed Mordred a bottle. The blonde knight caught it with ease.

"Thanks. Anyway, my magical energy's not the point here," Mordred said, opening up the bottle and taking a swig. "I ain't scared, either. It's just a dismal bloody place, and I hate all this sitting around. Especially now that the old dog there has confirmed his godson's at Trifas using that spell…Point Me, was it? Look, I know this place is easy to defend and all, I was a knight, but still…it's just weird."

"Look, if you want to go, then have a look around town yourself," Kairi said. "Or if Sirius and Drake are fine with it, they can go with you too."

"…It's not just that," Mordred admitted. "Remember when they came at us with those golems and Homunculi? I'm sure they waited deliberately until we were right in the middle of town. Now, I dunno about Drake here, but my Noble Phantasm is an Anti-Army type. It'd turn a good chunk of that town into a smoking crater, and I don't wanna involve subjects like that."

"My Noble Phantasm is also an Anti-Army one at full power," Drake said. "And what's more, summoning it in such a small area is begging for disaster. It'd be better for open battle. Even summoning cannons was a risk in such an area. The people there were lucky to only have windows to replace rather than entire walls or houses. That's why they did that. They were testing us, and also seeing whether we'd be ruthless enough to destroy the town. Now, I've pillaged more than a few Spanish settlements in my time, but I'm not going to bring civilians into this Grail War."

Sirius nodded. He and Kairi handled the Homunculi, while Mordred and Drake, surprisingly, worked well together. While Drake, as a Rider, wasn't quite as powerful as Mordred, she was able to summon bloody cannons out of nowhere to blast golems into smithereens(2). In truth, Drake and Mordred not only worked well together, but they got along well. It helped that they were both tomboys who loved to live life to the full. Sirius was still trying to get over the fact that two of history's most infamous people were women, but hey, as long as they kicked arse, he didn't mind. Mordred even reminded him of a feistier Tonks, and didn't seem like the malevolent character from Arthurian myth.

"Got it," Kairi said as he went back to work, shaping a part of a pickled baby Hydra with a ritual knife. "We'll try to be mindful of collateral damage, Your Highness."

"…What?"

Sirius chuckled at Mordred's dumbfounded expression and tone, as did Drake. She looked so adorable like that. Hell, dye her hair red, and she would have been a dead ringer for a younger Lily, both in appearance and behaviour, save that Lily was smarter. "He called you Your Highness, Mordred. You called civilians subjects, right? Isn't that what royalty does?"

"And you want to become King. You're fine with me calling you that?" Kairi added.

"…I guess," Mordred said, a bit taken aback. She rallied marvellously, and said, "Of course, feeding off the souls of subjects is against my code as well, and while Drake may be a pirate, I doubt she would consider such a thing as well."

"I would only plunder the souls of those who don't deserve to keep them, if it came to that. In truth, Padfoot's mana is more than enough booty." Drake shivered in delight.

Their conversation was halted when the weird fax machine-like thing made of bones began writing a message. As Kairi examined it, Sirius remarked, "You know, you're the first necromancer I actually feel safe around."

"Heh. It's not really a profession I'd recommend. Ditto mercenary work," Kairi said. "The message is from that priest, Shirou Kotomine. Apparently Berserker of Red has slipped his Master's control and his heading for the Yggdmillennia castle. Now, he wants us to deploy at least one of our Servants to help Archer look for an opportunity to get him back, or at least fend off any Servants of Black. Caster and Assassin are busy on a project for the Red Faction, and he's asked Lancer's Master to keep him under guard. The thing is, I was thinking…if Yggdmillennia commit enough Servants to deal with Berserker, maybe you could use that as an opportunity to head to the castle and rescue Harry. There'd be less Servants to deal with."

"Maybe. I don't have my mirror at the moment, and using a Patronus may warn Yggdmillennia. But hopefully, Notice Me Nots and other charms will be able to allow me to get in there. So, who should go to help Archer?"

"I'll go," Drake decided. "As a Rider, I can get there sooner. And if it's an uninhabited area…I can let loose." Her smirk was diabolical in its intent.

"Then I'll go with Sirius," Mordred decided. "If things go south, he may need a Servant to wreak havoc on the opposition to help with the escape. You okay with that, Master?"

"Sure. Just don't get into too much trouble. And if I need you, get Sirius to give you a Portkey to come back. Otherwise, I'll have to use a Command Seal…"

* * *

Harry knew that the Forvedges had noticed that he was distant from them. The Homunculus set to watch him had been assigned elsewhere shortly after Eve's summoning. She had been still standing by the room, at least until Astolfo managed to trick her into believing she was needed elsewhere.

For a time, Harry spoke to the Homunculus when he first woke. He knew, then, he'd have to try and find a way to help him escape. Apparently Avicebron was looking for him. And the poor sod had the mother of all bombs dropped on him: he only had a few years left to live.

As Chiron and Astolfo went elsewhere, Harry and Eve kept the Homunculus company, trying to reassure him. Harry couldn't even begin to realise what sort of death sentence the Homunculus lived under. Well, unless having Voldemort after him counted.

"…Why do you care?" the Homunculus asked.

"…Because, like I told Chiron, a friend of mine once told me I had a saving people thing. Anyway, maybe I should give you a name. Can't just keep calling you Homunculus or whatever. You're not like these other zombies. What about…Adam?"

Eve's sudden growl was surprisingly angry. Harry looked at her, startled. "What, you don't like it? Why?"

"Hrrrnnngh!" growled Eve.

"…Okay, stupid question when you can't answer it without the notepad. Do you want to write your reason?" She shook her head vehemently. "Well, do you have any ideas?" She shook her head rather less vehemently. "…Fine. I can't think of any other ideas for now. Anyway…I hope we can find you a way to get you out of here. If I had my Invisibility Cloak or something…or even my broom. I don't want to leave the others here either, but…"

"…You'd do this for me?" the Homunculus asked.

"Yeah. You're an innocent caught up in this. Even if you don't have long, you shouldn't have to deal with this."

Any further discussion was ended when Astolfo appeared, along with Chiron. "We have a problem. Berserker of Red is heading towards this castle," Chiron said. "He's being followed by at least one other Servant, in all likelihood, their Archer. Lancer and Caster will be working with Astolfo to capture Berserker of Red. I will be providing fire support for Saber, who will be going to intercept Archer. They've decided to keep Eve here in the castle, just in case there is an incursion."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Astolfo, once Berserker of Red is secured, intends to come back and get this boy out of here while Berserker is being transported back here," Chiron said. "I think that's a good time for you to leave as well, but via a different route. If there are two sets of escapes, it means any pursuers will have to be divided, or else they would have to choose between sets of escapees. In fact, I think they would prioritise chasing down Astolfo and the Homunculus. Caster seems set on tracking him down. I think he wants him for his Noble Phantasm. There's also another factor I have discovered. My Master and Darnic were discussing something. Your godfather is indeed in Romania. He is believed to be the Master of the Rider of Red, a woman with red hair and dressed in a nautical uniform, while he is comrades with the Master of the Saber of Red, a teenaged blonde girl in armour. The Master of Saber of Red is a man called Kairi Sisigou, a mercenary necromancer of some note."

"…Hopefully he's trustworthy, then," Harry said. "Padfoot made the mistake of trusting a man who betrayed him and my parents. But what if they send Assassin after me?"

"Assassin never arrived. In fact, the intended Master has been found dead in his penthouse in Japan not so long ago. Hyouma Sagara had his heart torn out, and there are reports of similar deaths in other parts of Romania, particularly Sighişoara. Apparently Assassin of Black was intended to be Jack the Ripper. And they have found a different Master, it seems. I'm telling you this because the latest victims have been Magi. Some are Yggdmillennia's agents, and others who were probably spies for Clock Tower. It wouldn't do for you to become one of Assassin's victims. In addition, Gordes reported that the Lancer of Red was attacking Ruler. The true name of Lancer was Karna, the Indian demigod, while Ruler was Jeanne d'Arc."

"But if we escape separately, how am I supposed to protect this guy?" Harry asked, indicating the Homunculus.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll protect him!" Astolfo declared. "I'll get him far enough away for him to get somewhere safe. And you guys can go the other way. It's foolproof…"

* * *

In hindsight, Harry should have guessed something was wrong. After all, there was nothing foolproof about a plan made by a fool. And he should know, he made more than a few of those himself. Still, Astolfo came in and warned them that he was about to begin breaking out the Homunculus, and he directed them to where the cityside gates would be.

To add an extra wrinkle to this, Harry was going to make like Eve had gone rogue, as Berserker Servants apparently tended to do that. So he was acting as if he was concussed and panicked, unable to consider using Command Seals, while he pretended to pursue his Servant, when in reality, she was clearing the way, batting aside the Homunculi sent to stop her with just enough strength to knock them senseless or send them into unconsciousness. Any golems were destroyed outright.

And then, disaster struck just as they reached the front gates. A barrage of shots halted Eve in her tracks, and she whirled, as did Harry, to find Fiore, looking at them. She had her Bronze Link Manipulators on, a quartet of robotic limbs that made her seem like Doctor Octopus, one of them pointed at Harry, with an ominous-looking gun barrel visible. "So…it seems that you've tired of our hospitality. Don't bother lying, Harry. I know you would never let your Servant go on the rampage. You seemed to have too much of an accord. I will have Archer snipe you and Berserker from afar if need be. Don't make me give the order."

Harry grimaced. Caught out so soon? So he fixed Fiore with a vicious glare, his emerald eyes boring into her own. "I don't want to be associated with people like you, using Homunculi as batteries. I'd rather take my chances with the Red Faction, and if you ever had any decency in your heart, you'd let me go. But then again, I'm guessing you never had any decency to start with!"

Harry actually saw her wince at his verbal attack, and for a moment, she looked sad. Maybe Chiron was telling the truth after all. "We can't let you go. You know too much. And besides, a Magus walks hand-in-hand with death every time they do their work. We have to steel ourselves, and do what is necessary for…"

"DEPULSIO!" With his spell, she was sent flying (and that speech was cut off too, thankfully), and Eve quickly grabbed Harry in a bridal carry and leapt over the gates. He thought briefly of the irony that it was the woman doing this as she ran down the streets at high speed, diving down alleyways, avoiding the Homunculi patrolling the streets.

And then, he heard a voice he wasn't sure he'd ever hear again.

"HARRY!"

Harry and Eve skidded to a halt in the street they were fleeing down, and saw, poking his head out of an alleyway, a familiar bearded face. Harry's eyes widened. "Eve, it's Sirius!" he hissed. He didn't have time to question this. He just needed to take the first opportunity to get the hell out of here.

She grunted, and ran towards the man. Next to him was a blonde-haired girl with emerald eyes, about his age, wearing a tube top, daisy duke jeans, and a leather jacket. The girl grabbed onto a rope Sirius was holding. "Harry, and whoever you are, grab the rope!"

Harry did so, as did Eve, and then, Sirius snarled, "Mischief Managed!"

The unfortunately familiar sensation of a hook digging into Harry's navel eventuated. Soon, but not soon enough, he was reeling around in what looked like a graveyard. Sirius put his finger to his lips, and then called out, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"

A nearby crypt opened up, revealing a burly man with a beard that made him look like a grizzled lion, dressed in a leather jacket, and wearing sunglasses. His right eyebrow seemed to have claw marks scarring it. "You made it, huh? Drake's back already. This him?"

"Yeah," Sirius said, as a red-haired buxom woman in an old style nautical outfit, like a captain's outfit, walked out as well. "How did it go, Drake?"

"Pretty swimmingly, though that Saber seemed about to use his Noble Phantasm before someone weighed anchor on his plans," the woman, presumably Drake, said, before she noticed Harry and Eve. "Well, ahoy there! You must be Harry Potter."

Harry nodded absently, as a brief flash of suspicion crossed his mind. "…Yes. Sirius…how did I rescue you back in my third year?"

"Oh, right. You and Hermione went back in time and freed Buckbeak first. I got away on him. And…when did I first meet you after breaking free from Azkaban?"

"In Little Whinging. I summoned the Knight Bus shortly after seeing you, didn't I?"

Sirius nodded, relieved, giving his godson a brief hug. "…Probably a moot point to check, but…anyway, allow me to introduce my allies. This lovely lady is Sir Francis Drake, believe it or not, the Rider of Red, and my Servant. This is Kairi Sisigou, a mercenary contracted by Clock Tower to work with the Red Faction. And this is his Servant, Mordred Pendragon. Yes, I know, don't bring up Mordred's gender."

Harry, after a moment, sighed quietly. "My Berserker is Frankenstein's creation, though she prefers Eve, so…I'm used to it. Sirius…what the actual hell is going on? Where have you been?"

"It's a long story, for both of us, I reckon…"

**CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry's escaped Yggdmillennia, with Eve in tow, and has been reunited with Sirius. But now, they're in pretty deep shit…**

**Review-answering time! ****Have a Little Feith****: I only have a passing familiarity with ****_Persona 4_****, but I've heard of that character.**

**1\. Just so you know, an esky is Aussie slang for a cool box or ice box. I can see Drake using one of these.**

**2\. Given that this is part of Drake's arsenal of moves in ****_Fate/Extella Link_****, I'm giving her a similar ability.**


	8. Chapter 7: Catching Up

**CHAPTER 7:**

**CATCHING UP**

It felt like a catharsis. While he had told something of his story to the others at Yggdmillennia, it felt better to speak to someone who knew what he went through. Or maybe it was because he was speaking to Sirius, knowing that he was alive and trustworthy. Yggdmillennia and the Servants were all strangers, as amiable or friendly some of them were, and to varying degrees of sincerity (of them, he could only say he really trusted Astolfo and Chiron, though he felt sorry for the Saber, given his Master was a pompous arse and a clone of Vernon Dursley). Sirius, though…he was family. And Harry felt guilty about having stumbled into that trap in the Department of Mysteries. He'd gotten his friends and those he knew and cared about into that mess. To know at least someone made it out was at least something.

After Harry finished telling his side of the story, Sirius nodded. "I see. Well, I don't know how I ended up where I did. I just woke up with some old guy called Zelretch looking at me at Clock Tower. Long story short, he thought you may have ended up in Romania, so he suggested I join the Red Faction after one of their original members, Feend vor Sembren, fell ill. I met Kairi in London, and we travelled here. Kairi summoned Mordred, and I went for pot luck, and summoned Drake here." He indicated the buxom pirate woman, her scar bisecting her face in a surprisingly rakish manner.

"Anyway, after the summoning, we went to the church we were told to report to," Kairi explained. "There was a representative from the Church acting as an administrator for the Red Faction. He called himself Shirou Kotomine, and he had his own Servant, an Assassin who called herself Semiramis, an ancient Assyrian queen."

"Something about that bitch reminded me of my mother," Mordred remarked. "My Master did well to get out of there, I reckon. We haven't seen hide or hair of any other Masters on our side."

"I was bringing Mordred in to try and help you escape if need be. It seemed that you made a good attempt at that yourself," Sirius said.

"Yeah. I hope the Homunculus got out all right," Harry said. "I know he had Astolfo helping him, but even so…"

Eve placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Mmm."

Harry, after a moment, looked up at the other two Servants. "…You know, neither of you are what I'd expect when I think Mordred and Drake. Sirius, can we trust both of them?"

"Mordred's misunderstood, Harry. I asked for her side of the story. It took a while to get it out of her, but…well, let's just say that Morgan le Fay was a total bitch, and King Arthur needed to be more tactful and less cold. In some ways, she reminds me of myself, the black sheep of the Black family. She's not like Pettigrew, betraying out of fear or cowardice. She was angry. As for Drake…well, she's a pirate and a privateer." Sirius shrugged.

"Sirius told me you'd been through a lot of shit in the past year or so back on your home turf," Mordred said. "So, I'll give you some slack for mistrusting me. 'Sides, I know what my legend painted me as."

"Well…I suppose if Padfoot vouches for you…besides, my Servant was denounced as a monster by her own creator," Harry said. "If I can believe she's a decent person beneath it, then I can believe you can be. Anyway, I'm sure I can't exactly choose my allies at the moment, right? Well, I hope to learn that history was wrong about you, Mordred. I mean…aside from the obvious."

Her emerald eyes narrowed. "And what's that meant to mean?"

"Well…people of your time being misogynists who thought knights are a men-only club?" Harry suggested.

"…You get a pass for now," Mordred said after a brief hard look at him. "So…what next?"

"We're going to be moving soon, just in case," Kairi said. "I'll need to touch base with Lord El-Melloi and see if there's any news. There might be some info from that priest as well."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Harry asked. "There's a few things. Firstly, that Homunculus. I know Astolfo was trying to get him out of there, but I don't know whether he succeeded. Secondly, I think we should try to contact Ruler. According to Archer of Black, who was Chiron, Lancer of Red, real name Karna, attacked Ruler. Given what Mordred felt about that Semiramis Servant, there might be something going on, and maybe we can share information so we can investigate. And thirdly, there's Assassin of Black." He explained what Chiron had told him about Assassin of Black.

After a moment to digest this information, Sirius mused, "We could send a Patronus to Ruler. If we know her true name, it could reach her."

"Jeanne d'Arc, according to Chiron," Harry said.

"If she has a phone, she can call one of us," Kairi said. "Both of us have burner phones. I don't like the idea of someone like her looking over my shoulder, but she might also have some information for us, and might appreciate the heads-up."

"Hmm. Hopefully, she's somewhere she can explain away what's happening." He left the crypt, presumably to begin using the Patronus as a messenger.

In the silence that followed, Harry turned to Eve. "Sorry, I've been neglecting you since our rescue. Are you okay, Eve?"

She nodded, and gave him a reassuring smile. "Pretty calm for a Berserker," Kairi observed.

"Yeah. She surprised me too," Harry said quietly. He gently touched her hand, as she did earlier. "I guess this mess is blowing a lot of my preconceptions out of the water. I…I wish I didn't have to leave Yggdmillennia. The Forvedge siblings were decent people, I think, even with that thing with the Homunculi, and Astolfo and Chiron were good people. I just don't know how the Forvedges, decent people, could put up with doing that to the Homunculi."

Mordred rolled her eyes. "Sirius told us what you went through, about that Voldemort wanker. Magi, for the most part, are cold-hearted. They think morals are for other people. Okay, wizards back in your world, apparently, don't think much of normal people, but still…"

Kairi nodded in agreement. "It's a pretty solid truism that Magi are more ruthless than most people. And most people don't think of Homunculi as people."

"Well, that Homunculus seemed more human than the other Homunculi at Yggdmillennia," Harry said. "Poor guy."

A few minutes later, Sirius walked back in with his mobile. "Okay, as it happens, Ruler does have a mobile, and she's currently on the line." Pressing a button, he said, "Okay, Ruler, you're on speakerphone."

"_Ah. I see_," came the voice of a young woman from the phone, with a French accent and a calm, dignified demeanour. "_Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jeanne d'Arc, chosen as the Ruler Servant for this Holy Grail War. I am told that the Saber and Rider of Red, along with the former Berserker of Black, are present, along with their Masters. Sirius Black, Kairi Sisigou, and Harry Potter. Greetings to you all. First of all…Harry. You will be pleased to know that the Homunculus that escaped the Black Faction is alive and well, and standing right next to me._"

"He's okay?" Harry asked, feeling relieved. "What about Astolfo?"

"_Astolfo has been retrieved and taken back to the Yggdmillennia stronghold for punishment. However, Saber of Black, true name Siegfried, perished. The Homunculus suffered a fatal attack from Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia, albeit by accident, and Siegfried turned on his Master, knocking him out. He tore his own heart from his chest, and transplanted it into the Homunculus. I stumbled across the scene shortly before he did so. Siegfried apparently did so to do something heroic of his own volition, as his wish. He asked that I ensure that the Homunculus be kept out of the Grail War, and I managed to ensure that Yggdmillennia respected that wish. The Homunculus, as a tribute to his saviour, wishes to be known as Sieg. He looks somewhat taller and older than when you last saw him, due to Siegfried's implanted heart. He was very worried about you. He's glad to know that you and Berserker of Black are still alive._"

A wave of relief washed through Harry at that. "So am I, and I'm sure Eve is too. Aren't you Eve?"

Eve nodded. "Hmm!"

"I just hope that Astolfo's all right," Harry remarked. "That Master of his reminded me too much of Bellatrix Lestrange. Anything else, Ruler? Or should I call you Jeanne?"

"_You may call me Jeanne if you wish, Harry_," the voice of the famous saint said. "_And yes. There are two major concerns about this Grail War. You already are aware of one of them: Assassin of Black, or rather, Jack the Ripper. As on your world, there are rules against exposing magic on this world, and yet, Assassin seems intent on flouting them. And of course, there are the lives they have taken. Involving bystanders is forbidden unless they are actually combatants, Masters or not._"

"Do you think Assassin's current Master is unaware of the rulers?" Kairi asked. "If Assassin is going around stealing hearts, especially of Magi, it means their Master may not be a Magus. They may not be aware of the rules of the Grail War."

"_It's certainly a possibility. I would consider going to investigate myself, but there's another concern, as I brought up. I believe that someone interfered with my summoning. I should have been summoned to the living world much like a normal Servant would be. However, my summoning was blocked, and I was forced to ask the permission of a compatible host to inhabit. My body forms a shell, as it were, around a French girl called Laeticia Delacroix. She is a descendant of my relatives. And before you ask, yes, it was consensual. I protect her with my form, and have made arrangements with her family to explain what happened._"

Drake frowned in thought. "Do you think that Darnic had a hand in this? He does possess the prize, after all."

"_It's possible, but given that Gordes only tried to persuade me to come with him when he had his Saber help me, it seems at odds with that. If anything…it may be that the culprit is part of the Red Faction. Lancer of Red, the Indian demigod Karna, attacked me with impunity, claiming it was his Master's orders. Also, Sirius Black has told me that you harbour suspicions about Shirou Kotomine and his Assassin Servant, Semiramis. I would appreciate any further information you have._"

"Not sure we can give you any, just hunches," Kairi said. "Something about that priest rubbed me the wrong way, and Saber didn't like Semiramis. Can't give you anything more concrete than that. Then again, Lancer's Master is Cabik Pentel. He was gonna be Master of Rider before Feend vor Sembren fell ill and Pentel wanted to summon Lancer instead. Now, he and his brother, Deimlet, I've worked with before. Having their Servants attack you is somewhat out of character. While we Magi don't like the thought of having some saint scrutinising us, we don't want to attack you and possibly forfeit our chance at getting the Holy Grail. So something's fishy. Someone's got some reason to want you dead. And we haven't seen a damned thing of the other Masters in the Red Faction, other than Kotomine."

"_I see. Thank you for your insight, Kairi Sisigou. I may have to consider the possibility that the Red Faction, aside from yourselves, have been suborned. Whether Shirou Kotomine is the responsible party or not remains to be seen, but given Semiramis' skill with poisons, it is a possibility none of us can ignore. However, of more immediate concern to innocent life are the actions of Assassin of Black. While I will not side with one side or another in terms of the actual conflict, I will step in to ensure that the rules of the Grail War are followed. If any of you wish to come to me and accompany me to track them down, then I will accept that._"

"We'll all come. I mean, the more, the merrier, right?" Kairi said. "Plus, we should get out of the area for now just in case Yggdmillennia come gunning for us…"

* * *

Chiron knew his Master was hurting. He'd heard Harry berating her from his perch. And it was a harsh but necessary lesson for her, he felt. She was so accustomed to the Magus attitude, and trying to emulate it despite her innate decency, that she hadn't considered whether someone would find treating Homunculi this way objectionable. Neither had Caules.

He knew Fiore would be unable to kill Harry. She didn't have that killer instinct, and the very thought of killing someone caused revulsion to well up within her. It didn't mean she wasn't capable of killing someone who wanted her dead, like an actual Magus, but he knew she was fooling herself if she believed she could kill Harry, or her brother for that matter.

Celenike, unfortunately, had been making all sorts of capital on the matter, making snide remarks about the other Masters (save for Roche and Darnic). The Forvedges had trusted Harry too much, Gordes couldn't even stop his own Saber from knocking him out and committing suicide to save a Homunculus, and Sagara had gotten killed. However, Darnic took the wind out of her sails rather swiftly by pointing out that Astolfo got it into his head to extract the Homunculus in the first place, her own Servant, and Celenike had no answer to that, save for a rather strangled noise of fury and hatred. Thankfully, Vlad had declared that Astolfo would be freed from his punishment before too long.

Hopefully, his Master would learn from this, and grow stronger. She needed to grow stronger in terms of her will and her heart, as would her brother. He would guide them along the way.

Still, there was something that disturbed Chiron. Both Darnic and Avicebron seemed even more concerned about Harry's escape than he would have thought. It wasn't fear of the stranded wizard's abilities, Chiron knew. It was a sort of covetousness that drove them, avarice. He could guess Avicebron's interest: the kabbalist Caster was obsessed with finding the right reactor core for his Noble Phantasm, and if a Homunculus with a strong magical potential fit the bill, then so would Harry.

But what was Darnic's interest? Vivisecting Harry in order to find out how to replicate the magic of Harry's world? Or…well, a horrifying thought occurred to the centaur. He had no idea of what means Darnic used to become as long-lived as he was, but few of them were remotely benign, and Darnic seemed like the sort of Magus who would not let morality get in the way of getting his way. He'd be pragmatic, true, and not advertise his immorality, and choose a time and a place. But what if Darnic wanted Harry's body to inhabit, in order to exploit the magic therein?

Neither thought was appealing to Chiron. He just hoped that his Master and her brother got out of this mess with their hides and souls intact. But given the lethality of these Grail Wars, the odds were against them…

**CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. Harry and Sirius have touched base, and Jeanne has asked for their help.**

**Now, why did she ask for their help? I think Jeanne would have gone to intervene against Jackie sooner, had she known about the matter in canon. She was prioritising trying to find out who had interfered with her summoning and had Karna attack her, but if she knew bystanders were at risk, she would try to stop Jackie herself.**

**Because the matter was brought up with Kairi, Sirius and Harry's faction (let's call them the New Marauders faction for convenience), Jeanne decided, while she could potentially handle Jackie on her own, she might need help, and given that they gave her info and she has already heard of Harry's sympathy for Sieg from the Homunculus himself, she decides, while she has them on the phone, to ask for their help to do this. Doubtless, Yggdmillennia would get annoyed about what seems to be favouritism, but Jeanne doesn't intend to ally with the New Marauders on a permanent basis, at least until she learns the truth about Shirou Kotomine comes out, and by that time, the whole factions issue becomes a moot point.**

**Review-answering time! ****Jostanos****: 'Esky' is the brand name here in Australia, but it's also slang.**

**Skull Flame****: While I can't speak for anything outside of Golden Wild Hunt for other instalments, Drake does indeed summon cannons for her attacks in ****_Fate/Extella Link_****. According to Rotciv557's review, she also does so in the Japanese version of ****_Fate/Grand Order_****, and will do so in the English language version once the relevant update appears (given that the wiki claims it was released with the Agartha chapter, well, the Agartha chapter is probably going to come out some time in June, if the upcoming release schedule is anything to go by, so we'll soon see). Given how spectacular Elizabeth Bathory's animation updates were, I'm looking forward to it. She also summons a dinghy/rowboat to slide right into enemies in ****_Fate/Extella Link_****.**

**Guest****: Firstly, regarding Eve and the Dream Cycle. Yes, she does feel an even stronger bond with her Master. And I'm glad you like my interpretation. I read the original novel by Mary Shelley some years ago, and it struck me how enjoyable the story was, despite how old it was (I'm not really a fan of most well-known books written pre-1950, though I do enjoy a number of Charles Dickens' works), and the Monster's alienation was something that spoke to me. Besides the ****_Van Helsing_**** iteration, I also enjoyed reading the more heroic version, Deucalion, from Dean Koontz's first ****_Frankenstein_**** novel (I haven't read any more than the first of Koontz's series). Your comparison to Akitsu was actually one I hadn't considered, though Eve is considerably less…fanatically loyal to Harry. Her loyalty is a more simply and textured one. If he gives a stupid command, she will cuff him over the head, albeit with enough for that she does not concuss him or splatter his brains all over the place.**

**You have a point about the various Paladins of Charlemagne too. Roland and Oliver were the only ones I really knew of until ****_Fate/Apocrypha_****. I had a weird notion I might have read about Astolfo when I tried reading ****_Don Quixote_**** years ago, but there didn't seem to be a reference in the first few chapters of that book. Actually, is it me, or is Don Quixote even barmier than Astolfo? Something tells me he'll be a Lancer or Rider for ****_Fate/Grand Order_**** sometime soon, complete with a Reality Marble, given how barmy he is. And you forgot Ector in the list of Arthurian knights.**

**Also, remember Chiron alluding to some of his students doing dark things. He wasn't trying to be nasty to Harry, he was just saying he had potential to be a great hero, or at least be renowned as one. Though who did Heracles actually rape? I know he abducted at least one woman, Iole (at least according to one account), which falls under the older definition of 'rape' (as in the Rape of the Sabine Women), but did he actually rape her or any other woman in the modern sense? I ask purely for information, as while my knowledge of Greek myth is pretty good, I'm hazier on some details, and I don't want to say yay or nay without knowing.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	9. Chapter 8: Jack the Ripper

**CHAPTER 8:**

**JACK THE RIPPER**

While Sirius could make Portkeys or Apparate, he needed to know exactly where in order to do so. And while Drake could potentially summon her Noble Phantasm, the famous Golden Hind, a massive galleon flying through the air would be a mite conspicuous. So, they hired a van, and drove it to the address Jeanne gave them, near a farmhouse where Sieg was staying. Harry and Eve took the time to say their goodbyes to Sieg, as he was going to be staying out of the Grail War for the foreseeable future, though not before the Homunculus (who looked like he had gone through a growth spurt) asked them to try and rescue his fellow Homunculi being used as batteries.

And soon, they were off, Drake doing the driving, while Kairi, riding shotgun, spoke on his mobile phone to Lord El-Melloi II. Meanwhile, Harry, Mordred, Sirius, Eve and Jeanne were sharing the back of the van. Thankfully, it was meant for tourists, so there were enough seats, and Eve had had her horn and 'earphones' concealed (via a charm from Sirius) and a new outfit, a rather lovely dress with flowers on them. Jeanne, meanwhile, appeared to be wearing a school uniform. Harry had to admit, the Ruler Servant was not only quite beautiful, but calm, dignified, and yet friendly.

"So, once this Grail War is over, what will happen to Laeticia?" Harry asked.

"I will bring her back home, and then return to the Throne of Heroes," Jeanne said.

"And if you die before then? What then?" Sirius asked.

"It should not come to that. However, if that is the case, then I charge you with returning her to France. I thank you for your concern. I do not like doing this either, for as willing as Laeticia was, taking her over and thus robbing her of control over her body is not something I wished to do."

"So, how are we going to do this?" Mordred asked.

"First, we negotiate. If your intelligence is correct, then Assassin's Master is not a Magus. In fact, he or she may have been an intended victim of the Magus who was going to summon Assassin."

"Yeah," Kairi said, having finished his phone call. "Hyouma Sagara is the sort of Magus who would sacrifice someone during a summoning. Actually, it got me to thinking…if he did intend to sacrifice someone, it might give us a clue as to what to look for. In fact, I think, given the info, that Assassin's Master may be a Japanese woman, possibly a prostitute."

"How do you come to such a conclusion?" Jeanne asked.

"Sagara was found dead in Japan, so that's the Japanese part down. It's not unreasonable to assume that. Now, this part's a pretty big assumption, but consider that Jack the Ripper was infamous for murdering prostitutes in London's East End. If you were going to summon Jack the Ripper, in order to strengthen the whole thing, you'd use a prostitute as a sacrifice. There's plenty of places that cater to those with the nastier fetishes in the world. I'd bet Sagara paid for a woman, with no questions asked, and intended to use her as a sacrifice. Only, it backfired. Now, I may be wrong about the Master being a woman or a prostitute, but I'd put money on the Master being a Japanese. And in a town like Sighişoara, a Japanese might stand out."

"That's…actually fairly good reasoning, Kairi Sisigou," Jeanne said. "You are correct that assuming Jack the Ripper's Master being a woman or a prostitute may be wrong, but the likelihood of them being Japanese is high. However, if negotiations break down, we need to prepare for a battle against Assassin. Remember, Assassins are specialists in targeting Masters, and they are also experts at concealing their presence. We should also consider that Yggdmillennia may be heading towards the area to deal with Assassin. I will call upon their assistance if they are willing to render it."

"And if they're unwilling?"

"If they decide to attack me, I may need your help, depending on the Servants they send at me."

"Hmmph!" Eve grunted, making it clear with a fist pounded into her palm how she would treat any Servants foolish enough to do so.

Mordred cackled. "You're speakin' my language, Eve…"

* * *

As it was, they soon lucked onto their target within half an hour. Sirius found someone who spoke of a Japanese woman who'd arrived relatively recently, with a young girl in tow. The odd thing was, the people they talked to were very vague about the girl's description, being unable to remember it, despite more detailed descriptions being able to be given of the woman and where she was living.

It was decided that Sirius, Harry, along with their respective Servants, and Jeanne, would meet the Master of Assassin. Kairi and Mordred would be standing by in case things went south. But hopefully, three Servants would be enough, if it came to be a battle.

Harry wasn't sure why he was going along with this. Jeanne wanted to negotiate, to try and get Assassin and their Master to stop. But would they stop? They were one of the most infamous serial killers in history, after all, and Harry felt wary of helping them. Then again, Eve and Mordred surprised him. Maybe Jack the Ripper would too. Besides, if Assassin's Master had been screwed over by Yggdmillennia too, then they might be an ally, especially if they could persuade said Master to stop killing Magi who had nothing to do with the Grail War.

Jeanne went first, knocking on the door of the house they had been directed to. The woman who opened it was beautiful, with a pleasant expression on her face that just felt a little off. "Yes? May I help you?" she asked.

"Good afternoon," Jeanne said politely. "You'll forgive me for coming straight to the point. Are you the Master of Assassin?"

The woman's expression didn't change much, but there was a definite added tension now. "And you are?"

"Ruler. Please, may we come in? I do not wish for this to come to violence."

The woman seemed to consider this, before she eventually nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Ruler? A strange name," she said as she led them inside.

"I am a special Servant summoned as an adjudicator for this kind of Holy Grail War, in order to enforce the rules. Hence why I am here," Jeanne said as the five followed the woman into the house. "What is your name, incidentally?"

"Reika Rikudou."

Introductions were made, albeit with the Servants answering to their class names rather than their real names. And then, Reika said, as she sat down, "And here…is Assassin. Say hello to them, sweetie."

And then, a child's voice answered her, seemingly from out of thin air. "Okay, Mummy."

Suddenly, there was a girl in Reika's lap. She could not have been older than twelve, with silvery hair cut in a ragged, short bob. Her cute features were marred by a pair of scars, one of them running across one of her golden eyes. She was currently dressed in a little dress.

Harry stared at the girl flatly. "…This is Jack the Ripper? _What_."

"Oh? You know our real name?" Jack the Ripper asked, her head tilting in an endearingly quizzical manner. If it weren't for the fact that he knew who, or rather, what she was, he would have found her ridiculously cute.

"Long story short, I was with Yggdmillennia until last night. Then, I found out what they did to get mana for their Servants."

"Which is why we are here," Ruler said, meeting Reika's gaze calmly, though she was clearly unnerved by Jack the Ripper. "Miss Rikudou, an important part of the Holy Grail War, as with anything to do with magic, is keeping it hidden. By performing these killings, you are drawing unnecessary attention to it. In addition, involving non-combatants is against the rules as well, and while I can understand the desire for revenge against Yggdmillennia for their Magus attempting to murder you, you are also targeting Magi from the Magus Association, who had nothing to do with your plight even at several removes. This cannot continue. I have come here to try and find a peaceful solution, one that will allow you to continue participating without violating the rules."

"And if I don't, will you try to kill myself and Assassin?" Reika asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Yeah, well, I don't think it's a matter of _trying_, lass," Drake said. "Counting Ruler, we have four Servants on our side. Just saying, you're a mite outnumbered. We're doing a bit of parley, as we know you got screwed over by that Sagara guy. Ruler wants you to stop taking out bystanders, we'd find it great if you want a bit of revenge against Yggdmillennia, even if you don't want to join us. So, assuming we found a way to supply your Servant with mana, would you stop killing people willy-nilly?"

"Is there a way?" Reika asked.

All eyes turned to Jeanne, who, thankfully, nodded. "There are ways of doing so. Admittedly, one of those is off the table, due to Assassin's age. However, I believe that, by using a small amount of blood of a Master as a catalyst, Assassin can draw upon their mana, by drinking said blood. Given that both of these people have much larger reserves of mana than most Magi, it shouldn't affect their ability to support their current Servants. In addition, they will merely supply the mana, while you retain the Command Seals. As long as you do not involve any innocents or non-combatants afterwards, then I will allow you to continue participating."

Reika and Jack looked at each other. It was Jack who seemed to make the decision, slipping off Reika's lap, and toddling over to Harry. "Hold out your hand." Harry held out the one without the Command Seals, and Jack giggled. "Don't worry, we'll just see if this works. We won't kill you. Yet." Bringing out a rather wicked-looking knife, she pricked Harry's finger so gently, he barely noticed it. He noticed her licking his finger, though, as if it was an ice cream.

Jeanne then closed her eyes, and began murmuring something under her breath. Harry felt something briefly tugging on his magic. A brief flare of light surrounded Jack, before she blinked. "Mummy! It worked!" she chirped.

"That's great, Jackie!" Reika said with a smile, hugging the Assassin as she returned to her, before she looked back at them. "Well, you have my thanks. But I have to ask, what do you ask for in return? Do you expect me to join you in fighting Yggdmillennia?"

"I don't, and whether you do join these people is up to you," Jeanne said. "I acted purely to prevent the deaths of bystanders and the exposure of the Grail War. If you refrain from killing those who aren't fighting in the Grail War, then that is all I ask for. Though I have to ask, Miss Rikudou…why do you support Assassin?"

"She saved my life. Sagara stabbed me multiple times during the summoning, and Jackie saved me. She has a skill, Surgery, that she used to do so. And I am well aware of what Jackie did to women of my…profession. All she wants…is a mother. All she wants is love. I want to give her a proper chance at life, and to hell with anyone in the way. That being said, I will stop attacking any non-combatants. I may even join these others, depending."

"How did a little chit of a girl become an infamous serial killer?" Drake asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"…She's not quite a girl. She's many souls in one, the souls of dead children from Victorian London. The wraiths of aborted foetuses of Whitechapel prostitutes, children who lived beyond birth, only to die of starvation or disease or violence on the streets…all of which came together in a single girl, who wanted to go back where it was warm, the womb. That was why Jack the Ripper killed those women," Reika said. "She didn't even understand what she was doing."

"I see," Jeanne said, her eyes looking at Jack. Revulsion and sympathy warred within those amethyst orbs. And Harry shared the same thing. One of Britain's most infamous serial killers was so pitiful and sad?

And then, he realised something with a sudden clarity. She was like him, like Eve. A child who didn't have a childhood. He had his cupboard under the stairs and servitude to the Dursleys. Eve was rejected by her creator and called a monster from the moment of her birth. And Jack didn't even have that, being an entity that shouldn't exist, and yet did, committing crimes not out of malice or sadism, but out of a desire for love that she didn't know how to obtain properly. Hell, even Mordred, considering what he learned, yearned for a love from his father, King Arthur, which she never got.

Then again, his past year at Hogwarts challenged his preconceived notions of what was right and wrong more than ever. And considering that they were in a fight to the death, well, while it was somewhat hypocritical to choose allying with a serial killer over Yggdmillennia, Jack didn't know any better. Yggdmillennia did. And in any case, Reika, while clearly not quite sane, was also a victim of Yggdmillennia…

* * *

Reika eventually decided to join their makeshift faction, with Jeanne asking for a ride back as close to where Shirou Kotomine set up shop as possible, intending to investigate. As Jack peered out the windows at the passing scenery, Harry looked over at Eve. "You're not annoyed about me doing this?"

"Hrngh!" Eve grunted, shaking her head.

"Oi, Harry," Mordred said. "Do you have a wish on the Grail?"

Harry frowned. "I…I never really thought about it. I wanted to go home, but…if Zelretch can do this, I don't need the Grail for it. But…well, the Grail can bring back the dead, right? Maybe it can bring back my parents or something?"

"I was thinking the same thing. Assuming it can work on a parallel universe, anyway," Sirius said. "Otherwise…well, at the very least, Darnic can't hold the Greater Grail. That's reason enough to stay for now. He's basically like Voldemort and Grindlewald mashed together. You know how he stays young? He basically fuses with infant souls, even though that'd mess with your personality. What's more, he collaborated with the Nazis to steal the Grail from Fuyuki, killing off his rivals. The von Einzberns lost some of their best people, the Tohsakas were almost wiped out, and the Matous actually were."

"Don't weep for the Matous," Kairi scoffed. "It came out soon afterwards that old Zouken used Crest Worms as familiars. Considering what they do to those they infest, especially women, he deserved his fate. Anyway, Darnic double-crossed the Nazis, covering up his stealing the Greater Grail back from the Germans. Now, I don't doubt that, from what you told us, those Forvedge kids aren't too bad. But Darnic is a monster, even by Magi standards. So's that Celenike bitch, though the Icecolle line's been filled with monsters for ages."

"Yeah. I don't know why someone like her wanted a Servant like Astolfo," Harry muttered. "Unless she's into crossdressers or something. Astolfo had a good heart, even if he was nuts. I'm glad Sieg got out of it all right. Thanks for helping him, Jeanne."

"I appreciate your thanks, Harry. You have adapted well to the situation. And I am pleased with the rapport you have with your Servant. Aside from his desire to save Sieg, I believe Siegfried gave up his life to save Sieg because he and his Master had a poor relationship. The same could be said for why Astolfo tried to help Sieg escape. While they are indeed familiars, they were also people once."

"Figures the saint would say somethin' idealistic like that," Mordred muttered.

"…Perhaps, but I actually feel uncomfortable with having been made a saint," Jeanne said. "I was more of a flagbearer than a warrior, and I am haunted by the deaths of my own men, and the atrocities they did in my name, so while I do believe I followed the voice of God in liberating France…well, it's both embarrassing and disconcerting to have this happen."

"Harry probably feels the same way. His parents were murdered by a warlock, and he survived a lethal curse nobody else did, though that was due to his mother doing something," Sirius said. "He became famous as the Boy Who Lived, though he grew up never knowing it."

Harry nodded. "At first, I was…well, happy to be famous. But now…it's a curse. People think I'm either their messiah or an attention whore or just plain crazy. You probably did more good than I have, Jeanne."

Jeanne gave Harry a sad, sympathetic smile. "Perhaps, but you still have much of your life ahead of you. And I am responsible, even if indirectly, for much evil, inspiring fanaticism in my followers. Perhaps…that is part of why I allowed myself to be burned. And while the world is filled with shades of grey, I believe that you have a good soul, Harry, and that you can do much good, both here and back on your home world."

"I hope so," Harry said quietly, looking out over the Romanian countryside. "I really do hope so…"

**CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. Jackie and Reika have been recruited into the party. But what next? Well, I've been neglecting Harry and Eve's relationship, so we'll have a nice bit of filler in the next chapter.**

**Now, it may seem a touch hypocritical for Harry to accept Jackie and Reika given their actions, but keep in mind he was reluctant to do so. However, while Yggdmillennia would continue to use Homunculi for their mana supplies, I think that Reika and Jackie, if they had a means of having a continual mana supply and they had the situation explained to them, would stop killing, or at least indiscriminately. Yes, Reika is a ruthless and somewhat unhinged individual, but I think that, if confronted with four Servants (including Ruler) and offered an alternative, she would take it and play along. Jackie doesn't really have a moral compass, and would likely take her cues from Reika.**

**However, Harry, Eve, Jackie and Moedred actually have a few things in common. They grew up isolated, without any real parental love. They've also had to deal with infamy, even Harry, especially given that this is a post-Book 5 Harry. On a related tangent, in case you're wondering where his anger went, a lot of it went away with his Horcrux, which is gone. Anyway, learning Jackie's origins, and the fact that she didn't understand what she was doing was wrong, helped that. Plus, he's got Eve as a Servant, so he'd be a bit hypocritical judging one monster when he's happily with another.**

**I also recently finished watching ****_Fate/Apocrypha_****. So…there may be more fics in the future, and more than just Potterverse crossovers. However, for anyone who has watched the show…is it me, or is the animation in Episode 22 in particular shitty? Some great fights were let down by some very dodgy animation…**

**By the way, this'll be the last chapter for a little while. While the next chapter is actually written, I'm hoping to post the next chapter along with a few others. Let's just say I'm actually hoping to post new chapters to a couple of my fics that haven't been updated for a while. No promises, but for those of you who have been waiting impatiently for new chapters to ****_Haemophilia_**** and ****_Harry Potter and the Blue-Haired Angel_****…well, let's just say that you ****_might_**** be seeing updates to those stories before long. No promises, but I AM working on new chapters for those stories.**

**Review-answering time! ****rmarcano321****: The main villain of ****_Fate/Apocrypha_**** is really Shirou Kotomine, aka Shirou Amakusa Tokisada. Though it would be more correct to call him an antagonist than a true villain, as his motives are actually quite pure, and he's well meaning. Unfortunately, he's also clearly someone for whom the ends justifies the means. Darnic is pretty much the main villain who is actually evil.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	10. Chapter 9: Friends and Revelations

**CHAPTER 9:**

**FRIENDS AND REVELATIONS**

After dropping Jeanne off where she wanted to go, the now enlarged band of Servants and Masters made their way to another town to spend the night. Probably just as well, as the wards Sirius and Kairi set up pinged: the crypt was being watched. Thankfully, Kairi had pegged a couple of cheap hotels as possible places to stay. Each Servant and Master pair got a room each at one of them, though they also set up, at least for now, a watch system, so that each pair could get some sleep (well, the Masters would). Plus, they still didn't quite trust Reika, so she wasn't part of the rotation. Neither was Harry, though Eve was going to help out.

Harry, thankfully, got some sleep. He'd hadn't had as much as he should have since summoning Eve anyway, if only due to the schedule Masters and Servants had to keep. However, some time before dawn, he woke. And when he couldn't get back to sleep, he got up, having a quick shower to freshen up, before he opened the window, and looked out at the night sky.

To his confusion, he heard a pair of voices humming a tune. Namely, _Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star_. He looked up at the roof nearby, to see Eve and Jack sitting on the edge of the roof, humming together. The two of them noticed his scrutiny, and Eve smiled shyly, while Jack waved. "Hi! I was keeping Eve company!" the child Assassin chirped.

"Oh?" Harry asked. He noticed that, whenever Jack wasn't in his presence, he forgot about her appearance. He had the vaguest notion that she was a young girl, but that was it. No specifics about her appearance remained in his mind. When he asked Reika earlier, Reika clarified that Jack had the skill of Information Erasure.

"Yep. Mind if I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, Jack, being nimble and quick, scurried over to the roof edge just above Harry's window, and swung in, forcing Harry to move out of the way. Eve wasn't quite as alacritous, but she clambered inside, allowing Harry to help her in.

"…Your mana is warm," Jack said. "You're like one of Mummy's hugs, like the Hamburg steak she cooked me. So…why are you still scared of me?"

"…You're one of the most infamous serial killers in history," Harry said, squatting down in front of her, meeting her gaze with his own. "Plus, you're an Assassin. You're pretty much meant to kill Masters. You can't blame me for being scared."

"We wouldn't kill you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have this warm mana," Jack said, and he couldn't deny that logic. "You aren't like that bad man, Hyouma Sagara. His mana was like the river, like the smog, freezing, choking, burning. Like the fathers that beat us, or worse, when we lived long enough to know what a father was. Our world was dark, dreary, and cold. Eve knows. We've talked. She talks funny, but she knows what a dark place the world is. And yet…she likes you. Because you see past her being called a monster. You gave her a name. Our name was one given to us by others. Not that we mind being called Jack."

"…Then why not kill Reika? Reika…was like those you killed in life, Jack."

"…Because we wanted a mother," Jack explained, in a tone as if it were blatantly obvious. As if he was the child, and she the adult. "We want love and warmth. She gave us that."

Was it really as simple as that? Harry wasn't sure. And yet, she seemed so guileless. Jack the Ripper, the serial killer feared in London, was ridiculously frank and earnest. Then again, considering she was a child, and an amalgamation of children in Victorian London, it made a perverse kind of sense.

And he'd been there before. Curled up in the cupboard under the stairs, or locked out by the Dursleys. Craving warmth and comfort and love, but never receiving any. Praying for parents, particularly a loving mother.

Eventually, a touch unsure of himself, he gave the little serial killer a hug. "I hope you find more people to keep you warm, Jack. You shouldn't be a killer. You should be trying to enjoy your new life."

"…But we are."

"I meant the way normal kids do. I…never mind."

She cocked her head, peering at him, searching his expression. "Hmm…you care for us, despite yourself. Maybe you could be our big brother, and Eve our big sister. Well, I'd better go and see if Mummy's awake. Bye-bye, Big Brother Harry." And with that, she leapt out of the window.

Harry sighed, before turning to Eve. "Sorry."

"Hnn." Eve's grunt seemed to hold a 'that's fine' in its tone. So he sat down on the bed next to her. He found her notebook on the bedside table, and handed it to her. Eventually, she wrote, _It's hard to believe that she is one of the world's most infamous serial killers. Though it's easier to believe that we have a rapport, of sorts. Monsters get along well together, after all_.

"Eve, we've been through this. You at least want to repent for what you did, to atone. You're not a monster." He gently used his hands to push away the hair from her eyes, revealing the gold and blue mismatched orbs. "Anyway, I really have been neglecting you since our escape, haven't I?"

She shook her head. _We had other things to deal with. You were reunited with your godfather, we had to deal with Assassin…I don't blame you_.

"Okay…so, is your mana supply still all right? I mean, with Jack feeding off me…"

_I have to use Galvanism a bit more actively than I was, but that's about it. I'm more worried about when combat comes. I can use Galvanism to pick up the slack, but if you need to use magic at the same time, you run the risk of exhausting yourself if it's a protracted battle. And given that we are caught between two different Factions…well, the other members of the Red Faction may be our enemy, and Yggdmillennia certainly are_. She paused, her expression becoming pensive briefly, before she wrote, _I'm beginning to wonder whether I would get my wish_.

"…Well, what do you want in a mate?" Harry asked. "I mean, does it have to be a being like you? Or…can it be just someone who'd love you for being you?" She looked at him suddenly, and he realised how it sounded. "Hey, I'm not saying I love you. I don't think falling in love with someone happens this quickly. But I already consider you a friend, Eve."

A smile touched the Berserker Servant's lips. "…Frrriennnd," she laboured out. Then, she hugged him, carefully angling her head so that her horn didn't hurt him. "Friend…" she murmured, a little less laboured. "…One…day…maybe…you have…my heart…one…day…maybe…you will be…my mate."

"Maybe. That's assuming we can survive this mess," Harry said, trying to distract himself from what Eve just said. She was cute and endearing, and intelligent, her Madness Enhancement aside.

"Mmmm," she hummed, nuzzling into him. "Jack…right. Warm…so warm…do I…deserve…you?"

"…Maybe you just deserve someone who cares about you, Eve."

"Mmm…"

* * *

The morning went fairly fine, with the various Servants and Masters taking in the sights of the city. Mordred and Jack in particular enjoyed seeing the sights, with Eve being more subdued and shy. Still, despite the enjoyment they had, there was an undeniable tension in the air, with either Yggdmillennia intending to attack them, or else Ruler making her investigations and finding something.

However, the peace wasn't to last. As they gathered at a restaurant to have lunch, Sirius' phone rang, and he put it on speakerphone once he greeted the caller, who was Ruler. A Privacy Charm was put up for good measure. "_My apologies for interrupting your meal_," Jeanne said. "_But I have bad news. I went to the church you directed me to, but nobody was present. I made my investigations, and was nearly entrapped by a magical trap left behind by either Caster, or else Semiramis. In addition, in a side room, I detected traces of a potion used for mind control. It may be that you are correct, that the Masters of the Red Faction, barring yourselves, have been suborned by Shirou Kotomine._"

"He's trying to stack the deck in his favour," Kairi growled. "But why? Is the Church trying to get a hold of the Greater Grail for themselves?"

"_It's a possibility, but I know that Shirou Kotomine is the linchpin to this_," Jeanne said. "_Kairi, Sirius, Saber and Rider, did you notice anything about him at all?_"

"He seemed rather too calm and confident for my liking," Mordred muttered. "Nothing definite, though. I was more concerned about that hag of an Assassin he had. Smelled like my mother."

"I can't really add much," Sirius said. "He seemed a bit like Dumbledore, like he knew what was best for everyone, despite all evidence to the contrary. Only, I think Dumbledore would at least acknowledge his mistakes."

"I haven't got much more. I've seen photos of his father and brother, and he looks nothing like them. He's probably adopted." Kairi frowned as something seemed to occur to him. "Risei Kotomine was the Church Overseer for the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, actually. Is it me, or does that reek of something more than coincidence?"

"_Perhaps_," Jeanne said.

Drake scoffed. "I'm surprised. Back when I was sailing around the world on the Golden Hind, Portuguese sailors and Jesuit missionaries were beginning to bring Catholicism to Japan. But is it widespread there these days?"

"Not by much," Kairi said. "There were quite a few Japanese martyrs, persecutions happened for quite a while, especially during the 17th Century. Hell, the priest shares his name with one of the most famous: Shirou Amakusa Tokisada. He's a folk saint amongst the Japanese Christians. Still…"

"_Kairi_," Jeanne said quietly, but her tone of voice suggested something. "_Did you just say…Shirou Amakusa Tokisada?_"

"Uhh, yeah. Why? What's the matter?"

"…_One of the requirements, albeit not a strict one, of being qualified to be a Ruler Servant is to be a saint of some sort, someone who can be objective. Now…while the previous Grail War was not like this one, perhaps one of the Founding Families of the Grail War, one of those who know the mechanics of the ritual better than anyone else, decided to try and summon a Ruler Servant, choosing one of the best known martyrs and folk saints in Japan._"

Harry caught on immediately. "This priest is a Ruler Servant?"

"_I cannot say for sure, as this is merely speculation, but if he is, things make a lot more sense. Even if he did not actively interfere with my summoning, his very presence may have blocked it. However, he clearly sees me as a threat to my plans, hence Karna's attack on me._"

"But how could a Servant have survived from the previous Grail War?" Mordred asked.

"_He must have made a wish on the Grail to be born anew, prior to it being stolen. I presume remaining in an unaging body was part of it_," Jeanne explained. "_Perhaps he was adopted by the Overseer. Again, this is speculation, but it fits. And the thing is, given his atypical summoning…we may all be in danger. A Ruler Servant should not have any desire for the Holy Grail whatsoever. And yet, given his actions, he clearly covets the Grail._"

"Do you think he wants revenge?" Reika asked. "Darnic may have killed his Master."

"_Perhaps, but why target me if his goal was simply revenge? There's also an additional factor. Semiramis' ultimate Noble Phantasm is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. While it takes a considerable amount of time, money, and resources both magical and mundane to create, Shirou may very well have prepared for that. I'm doubtful that we can find them soon enough to stop them. Even if your magic had a spell that could track them, Shirou Kotomine has four Servants with him, five if you include the man himself. And Semiramis would make the Hanging Gardens her own territory. Despite being an Assassin, she also has aspects of a Caster, including Territory Creation, to say nothing of the actual Caster of the Red Faction. We also don't know the identities of the other Servants of the Red Faction._"

"I fought alongside Archer," Drake remarked. "The lass was a killjoy with blonde and green hair, and the ears and tail of a cat, of all things. Wielded a damned fine bow that looked like gold. We didn't talk much, but she did bring up Artemis. Guessing the lass is Greek."

"…_Then she may be Atalanta. Atalanta was one of the few Greek heroines who would qualify as an Archer, and the feline features may be a remnant of her legend, where she ended her days transformed into a lion. Again, this is but speculation, as with Shirou Kotomine's true nature._"

"What do we do about it, then?" Kairi asked.

"As much as I hate to say this, we warn Yggdmillennia," Sirius said. As the others looked at him in shock, he explained, "Look, if what Harry said is correct, then the Forvedges at least aren't bad people, and the same goes for the Archer and Rider on that side. And if Darnic participated in the Third Holy Grail War, he may be able to confirm whether Ruler was summoned then, as well as his identity. Also…I have an idea. It's a pretty vague one, but I think it'll work. It'll mean using Drake's Noble Phantasm."

"Ahh, looking to pillage some booty?" Drake asked.

"You could say that. Shirou must have a plan for getting the Greater Grail onto these Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I think we'll swoop in at the right time. And, if need be…as much as I'd want a wish on it, if we need to to deny Darnic or Shirou their prizes…we may need to destroy the damn thing. Letting either of them get their hands on the Grail seems like a bad idea, and believe me, I've both thought of them and seen them in action. Don't get me wrong, it's a last resort, obviously. But if Darnic or Shirou look like they're getting their hands on it…"

Sirius was the subject of a number of uncomfortable looks and glares. However, Jeanne said, "_While it should be a last resort, I do agree with that course of action if Shirou's wish is a destructive one._"

"Better make it THE last resort," Mordred growled mutinously.

**CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. The stage is set for one massive clusterfuck. Next chapter, Darnic stews in resentment, and Sieg reunites with Harry and Eve.**

**Okay, so I said the last chapter would be the last I would post for a little while. But…well, I finished the next one, so, here is another one. Enjoy.**

**Review-answering time! ****ZLC genesmith****: I actually seriously considered that while considering the pairings for the story, but I decided to restrict it to Sirius/Drake without adding Reika to the mix.**

**framfrit****: Let's see…you forgot Zouken Matou. For all the fact that he has a purpose, he's also even worse than Celenike. He's a vicious sadist, pretty much a paedophile by proxy (or not, given the Crest Worms are effectively what he's made of), and he'd bring about the end of the world if he got something out of it. And Ryuunosuke is another.**

**MWkillkenny84****: Eaten alive? More like sliced and diced. And I think Jackie would even reject Bellatrix's womb. Though Bella's definitely going to get the wrong end of Maria the Ripper…though a certain sadistic golden-eyed Nasuverse bitch is going to get that first. Maybe two.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	11. Chapter 10: Is Forewarned Truly

**CHAPTER 10:**

**IS FOREWARNED TRULY FOREARMED?**

Darnic was staring in shock even after the ghostly dog faded away, having delivered its message. This was…unexpected, to say the least. The ghost dog had trotted right into his room while he was conferring with Vlad III about what to do about Potter (Avicebron's golems had tracked them leaving Sighişoara with Ruler and that woman who had become Jack the Ripper's Master), and had delivered a rather insulting greetings to him in the voice of a man who claimed he was Sirius Black, before relaying the possibility that the Ruler that he knew from the Third Holy Grail War _was still alive_.

It actually made sense. He'd lost track of that Ruler during the Third Holy Grail War, a Japanese priest that the von Einzberns summoned as their supposed trump card. And now, he wanted revenge for Darnic killing his Master, to say nothing of making a play for the Greater Grail. While Darnic's first impulse was to reject it as fabrication, there were few who knew of the atypical Servant the von Einzberns had summoned, and in any case, it explained why the priest the Church had sent had been particularly careful to avoid the surveillance of Yggdmillennia.

In addition, they had divulged the name of the priest's Servant, Semiramis, an Assassin who also had strong elements of a Caster, and whose greatest Noble Phantasm was a massive flying fortress. Ruler, the one for this Grail War, was currently going to try and intercept, but Vlad III had already given the orders to prepare for battle, and Darnic saw the wisdom in this. Even if this was a ploy by Potter and his godfather, it didn't hurt to be prepared, just in case.

It also explained why Sisigou and Black were operating away from the main part of the Red Faction. They must have gotten suspicious, and stumbled across the secret somehow. As for why the currect Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, had cooperated with them…well, considering they had Jack the Ripper with them, he presumed that Ruler had acted to save lives rather than to help this faction within the Red Faction gain what should have been their Servant. Then again, she had interfered with his attempt to retrieve that Homunculus, so he wasn't sure whether he should be so generous towards her and her supposed neutrality.

Still, his enemies weren't even a cohesive whole. If he was lucky, Potter hadn't shared the information on his Servants with the rest of the Red Faction. That meant he still had an advantage. Even with Siegfried dead, sacrificing himself to save that Homunculus, they still had Vlad III on their side, empowered by being on the lands he once ruled over. Avicebron's Noble Phantasm could potentially be used with Gordes as the reactor core, and in any case, his indoctrination of Spartacus, the Berserker of Red, was going along swimmingly. Chiron and Astolfo also still had their uses, quite substantial ones.

That meant that he still had five Servants on his side, plus an entire army of golems and Homunculi. They may be cannon fodder to Servants, but to Masters…well, he intended to have Potter and Black brought to him alive. Maybe he could vivisect Black, and take Potter's body for his own. It would be an adequate penalty for spurning his hospitality and hurting Fiore so.

For all that he would use or discard everything he needed to to reach Akasha, he did have a soft spot for Fiore. His most competent subordinate and the only one he trusted to lead Yggdmillennia should something go wrong. To see her dismayed because of Potter's hurtful parting comments actually hurt Darnic, and the fact that they just helped him, despite their being able to profit more from keeping him ignorant, was irrelevant. Harry Potter had wounded Darnic's pride, and was another competitor for the Grail, to say nothing of stealing not just one, but two Servants from the Black Faction, as well as indirectly contributing to Siegfried's suicide.

As for Sirius Black…well, being called 'the Nazis' cocksucker' and 'a would-be Grindlewald' was just plain rude. So too was his Rider that they saw before, a vulgar woman who taunted and swore even as she blew her opponents to smithereens with cannons summoned out of the very air, and who had proven an able opponent to Siegfried, cooperating with the Archer of Red rather well. Very dangerous, and bloody annoying.

Still, it would be unwise to underestimate them, or the other Masters and Servants. Kairi Sisigou was a proficient necromancer, and his mercenary career made him a pragmatist, and an expert on dealing with Magi, and while he was no Magus Killer, he shared Kiritsugu Emiya's ability to use Magi's tactics against them. His Saber, a brash, vulgar thing like Rider, was nonetheless powerful. Reika Rikudou was no Magus, but dismissing her as a mere whore was to do her no credit, as she managed to infiltrate Romania without his knowing it, at least until she let her Servant off the leash, and she had surprising competency for someone who had little to no knowledge of the hidden world of Magi until Sagara tried to sacrifice her. And Jack the Ripper was clearly effective at protecting Reika and killing Magi, and after seeing what had to be the Assassin via surveillance, he'd forgotten every aspect of her appearance, only vaguely remembering it. A skill, he realised.

True, the main enemy was the greater part of the Red Faction, possibly led by a rather literal (if somewhat more solid) spectre from his past. In fact, he was far more concerned about them and this fortress claimed to be Assassin of Red's Noble Phantasm. If what Black had stated was true, then this faux Ruler the von Einzberns had summoned was his biggest opponent, one who had every reason to seek vengeance, even if that was unbecoming of a saint. They had Archer, Lancer, Caster and Assassin on their side, and they only knew the identity of the Lancer (Karna, thanks to Gordes intercepting the Lancer's attack on Jeanne d'Arc) and Assassin (Semiramis, thanks to Black). If he was lucky, that damned faux Ruler didn't know the identities of his other Servants, if Potter hadn't divulged their identities, anyway.

But while the main part of the Red Faction were the most dangerous enemy, Potter and Black had stung his pride. What was more, they had recruited what should have been Yggdmillennia's Assassin and that whore who usurped Sagara. They had four Servants, two of which were supposed to be part of their side. And they had indirectly cost him another in Siegfried, though Gordes' incompetence as a Master didn't help. He would punish them for their insolence. But later. He had a battle to prepare for…

* * *

After something of a drive, they gathered at an area not far away from the Yggdmillennia stronghold, far enough away to not warrant any substantial attention, and a little way away from what was going to prove to be a battlefield very soon. Four Masters, four Servants. "So, how are we going to do this?" Harry asked, as the sky faded to twilight hues.

"For now, we wait until they commit the majority of their forces to attack the Red Faction. Jeanne seemed to think they would do so soon." There was a sudden trill from his mobile phone, and he muttered, "Speak of the devil…well, the saint." He answered it. "Hello, this is Sirius. Ah, Jeanne. Yes. Damn…okay, well, we're in position. Just as well we were, then. We've warned Yggdmillennia, so it isn't like they'll be caught with their pants down. We're still figuring out what to do, but…"

Reika took the phone, and spoke to it. "I was thinking about having Assassin kill Darnic at the very least, as well as infiltrating the castle and disabling their Homunculus mana supply. Well, it depends on whether I can do so without killing them or not. Fine then…oh, speak of the devil, this must be him now."

They whirled as Reika watched as Sieg approached. Harry had to admit, it was strange looking at him now, seemingly aged up to an older teenager. He was clutching a sword in a scabbard, and held an expression of grim determination. But when he recognised Harry and Eve, he gave a smile. "Hello."

"…Yes, he is here. Well, he's how Harry described him, if a bit older-looking. Sure."

Sieg took the phone a little uncertainly, before speaking into it. "Hello? Oh! Ruler! I…look, I've been thinking…I know you wanted me to stay out of the fighting, but…listen. Those Homunculi…I don't want them to die, used up for their mana. I need to rescue them. No, Ruler, I'm not going to budge on this! Please, just let me have the chance to save them, okay? …I don't know, but if these guys are willing to help, I'll take it. Thanks. And I'm sorry for making you worry, after all the trouble you went through to help me. Yeah, you can yell at me all you like after I've helped them. Sorry. Thanks. Goodbye." He held out the phone. "Sorry, which one of you is Sirius Black?"

"Here," Sirius said, taking the phone. "Hello? Yes, I sort of got the idea. We'll discuss it, but if Reika's fine with it, we'll send Assassin in with him. Harry and Eve may be able to help. But we won't do that until Yggdmillennia have committed the majority of their forces to battling the priest. Meanwhile, we'll use Rider's Noble Phantasm to wait for the right opportunity. Yes, I've warned Yggdmillennia. Anything else is Darnic's problem. Got it. Right, good luck. We'll keep an eye out for you on the battlefield. If the Red Faction tries something, just call us. Actually…call us the New Marauders. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Hmm!" Eve grunted with a nod.

As Sirius said his farewells to Jeanne, Mordred walked over to Sieg. "So, you're the Homunculus Harry and Eve sprung from outta there? And you wanna go back in, save your pals?"

"Yes. I owe them that much. I know Ruler went to a lot of trouble in helping me, but I can't just sit on the sidelines while they're being exploited. I'm sorry, you are…?"

"Saber of Red, technically. The redheaded pirate queen is Rider of Red, and the munchkin with the scars is the former Assassin of Black. But we're not with the Red Faction or Yggdmillennia. Sirius there just called us the New Marauders, and I reckon it's got a nice ring to it. You've got serious balls wanting to head back to the place you just escaped from. But you know what? I like the cut of your jib."

"Hey, Sieg," Harry said, approaching the Homunculus, Eve doing so as well. "You've grown."

"Uhh, thanks, I guess? I was like this when Saber of Black, Siegfried, sacrificed his life, replacing my heart with his own," Sieg said, a little sheepishly, though he looked a bit saddened by Siegfried's death.

Harry felt the same way. He barely even knew the stoic Saber, especially as that fat bastard Gordes had ordered him not to speak to anyone without his leave. However, to sacrifice his own life to save Sieg's…well, Harry was impressed, and he wished he got to know Siegfried better.

"So…you want to save your friends?" Harry said. "The other Homunculi they've got in tanks?"

Sieg nodded. "I was going to do it myself, but I'd appreciate any help. Can you help me?"

"Sure. Eve and I will go with you, and Reika said earlier that she'd send Assassin in to help free the Homunculi." Thankfully, Jack's Master nodded in assent.

"…Thank you," Sieg said, bowing a little in gratitude.

"You're a Homunculus? An artificially-created human?" Reika asked. "Sorry for being blunt, but you seem so…human. Then again, so does Eve, given her origins. I'm new to this world of magecraft and Servants, so forgive my confusion, Sieg."

"That's fine, miss…"

"You can call me Reika."

"…Reika. I'm pretty much new to this myself," Sieg said. "I guess you could say I was more or less born literally yesterday…or at least a few days ago." He looked at Eve and Harry. "These two, along with the Archer and Rider of Black, Chiron and Astolfo, helped me out."

"Aye, they seem to have a bad habit of being helpful," chuckled Drake.

"Nothing wrong with that," Sirius said. "That being said, we're going to wait until the main part of the Red Faction make their way here, and then you guys can go do your thing while the Black Faction are busy fending off the others. Just don't do anything reckless."

Mordred rolled her eyes. "Fuck that, that ain't no fun at all…"

**CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. The stage is set for a threeway showdown. But can Harry, Sieg, Eve and Jackie save the Homunculi?**

**Review-answering time! ****framfrit****: Yeah, but it's been a VERY long time since there have been ANY 'extenuating circumstances' to Zouken Matou. He's basically a paedophile by proxy who gets off on not only effectively raping Sakura through the Crest Worms he controls, but also by having Shinji rape her (and I heard somewhere Byakuya did the same thing). In addition, it's hinted that, in ****_Fate/Zero_****, he deliberately gave Kariya a Berserker Servant because he wanted Kariya to fail miserably, partly to break Sakura even further and partly for the shits and giggles. That was NOT a quick death he effectively gave Kariya. Celenike is WAY more honest about what she is than Zouken Matou.**

**Guest****: Meh. As for the whole neglecting Eve thing…you're right. The next chapter actually has Eve and Sieg conversing (as much as Eve CAN converse, anyway), and Eve's own thoughts on why she wishes to live, and her growing affection for Harry. She even gives him a kiss for luck. And yes, Luna and Jackie would get along swimmingly.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	12. Chapter 11: Salvation and Sadism

**CHAPTER 11:**

**SALVATION AND SADISM**

"…Eve, I've been meaning to ask you…why do you live?"

Eve blinked beneath her fringe at Sieg's unexpected question, as they waited, ready for the cue to assault the Yggdmillennia stronghold. The sky had turned to night, and while there were no clouds in the sky, she knew a storm was coming very soon. "…Why…ask…me?" she laboured out.

"…You're like me, a created being," Sieg explained. "I know it's a bit much to ask, given…well, you find it hard to speak. Harry told me, while I was recovering in your room, about your life. Do you love him?"

Eve frowned in thought. "…Not sure…what…I feel," she admitted, struggling to get her words out, cursing her Madness Enhancement. "…But…I care…for…him…because…he…cares…for me."

"Because you were called a monster in your old life? That few people cared about you? Most hated you?"

"Hmm," Eve agreed sadly. Then, she fished out the notebook, and wrote her thoughts down. _Even if it wasn't for the sake of finding a mate…I would live anyway. Mary Godwin wrote in my suicide partly to protect me. But…I would never do so. To live is better than to die, even if it's painful. While there are, admittedly, things worth dying for, I'd personally want to live. Only if I felt my death would serve some better purpose would I willingly give up my life. I can't exactly tell you why I live, only that life is better than death, that experience is better than oblivion. That I have an existence on the Throne of Heroes is small consolation, as I am there chiefly out of infamy. Take you, Sieg. Rescuing the Homunculi aside…why do __**you**__ want to live?_

After considering this for a time, Sieg admitted, "Maybe it's for the same reason as you. Because it's better than oblivion. Sorry if it isn't anything grand, but…"

Harry, who was just coming back from talking to the others, Jack the Ripper walking alongside him, gently placed a hand on the Homunculus' shoulder. "It's okay, Sieg." He then walked over to Eve, and she felt her heart quicken at his approach, the faint, virtually inaudible hum that came from Bridal Chest raising ever-so-slightly.

She remembered what she said early this morning, about how, one day, Harry would maybe have her heart. She doubted what she felt for him now was love. But she was certain it was desire, a gentle desire that could be the first embers of love. They could be fanned, she knew. But would they be fanned into a raging, destructive and ephemeral inferno? Or a warm hearth that could keep on going, sustaining those around it? She hoped sincerely it was the latter.

Unbidden, she remembered a myth De Lacey told her from Greek mythology. The one of Pandora. It wasn't the whole thing about the box with all the evils in the world within it that struck her, but rather, that Pandora was a created being, like her. Mary Shelley dubbed Eve's creator a 'Modern Prometheus', but she felt Victor Frankenstein had more in common with Zeus and Hephaestus instead, particularly the rather nasty behaviour of the former. Prometheus wanted to help humanity, but all Frankenstein wanted was to further his own ambition. He didn't even try to nurture Eve. He just rejected her as monstrous, without trying to fix that.

Tears began trickling down her face as she thought of her creator. She would have given anything to have been loved by him, even if it was only a familial love. Even if it was only the love between a father and a daughter. But he never did. The closest thing she got to familial love was when she stayed with De Lacey and his family. They accepted her, with varying degrees of reluctance. And she threw that away when she realised the depths of her anger towards Frankenstein. She left them, intending to take her revenge, consumed by her hatred. In truth, when she returned to Switzerland after her creator died in the Arctic, she was hollow, and even her relationships with the likes of Lord Byron, the Shelleys, Claire Clairmont, Polidori, and others didn't help fill the void as much as they should have.

_I live because I want to be loved_, she thought. _I want to have a happy life, with those I can love, as friends and family, even with a lover, a mate. I want to enjoy everything life has to offer, and share it with those who care about me_.

"…Hey, Eve," Harry said, taking a tissue from his pocket and wiping her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"…Hnn," she said, with a sad smile and a nod. Then, on an impulse, and tilting her head to avoid injuring him with her horn, she kissed him on the lips.

Eve was sure whole poets had waxed lyrical on kisses, but she didn't feel any poetry or passion. It was a simple affirmation of their relationship, tentative though it was, a sealing of their bond. And there was another reason, one she voiced as she blushed, smiling bashfully at Harry. "For luck," she said, not even having to force the words out. For the first time since being summoned, her words came from her lips with little effort.

He looked at her with a bemused smile on his face and a blush that she knew was mirrored on her own features. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Hmm!" Well, _bugger_. Now she couldn't talk that easily again. Gah! That was so frustrating!

Sirius came over, with Drake, Reika, Kairi and Mordred in tow. "Okay, well, I think it's nearly time to take the helm. I just spotted through my spying glass this massive fortress in the air that just has to be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Even you landlubbers can't miss it," Drake said.

"Plus, they seem to have deployed their own golems," Kairi said. "I'd heard rumours of Dragon Tooth Warriors used by the Caster of one Holy Grail War, but this is a veritable army of them. This looks like the time to start approaching the castle and infiltrating it. Yggdmillennia have already mobilised. As long as you avoid stirring up too much trouble, you should be able to infiltrate it."

"Just to make sure, though," Sirius said, before casting charms at Harry, Sieg and Eve. "Disillusionment Charms," he explained. "Assassin doesn't need it, given her Presence Concealment, but you don't have that advantage. But they will be dispelled when you take any aggressive action, and you will break it for a person if you speak with them. And a Servant may still be able to sense your presence to some degree. Sieg, do you remember where to go to free your fellow Homunculi?" The Homunculus nodded. "Right. You take point, then."

"And Jackie…protect them," Reika said.

"Got it!" Jackie said.

* * *

Soon, they were dashing through the forest. They could hear the sounds of battle in the distance, and see the occasional flare of light from magic or a Noble Phantasm. They saw, distantly, a hail of what looked like arrows of light rain down upon what was probably where the Yggdmillennia army was.

As they emerged from the forest, they saw a bunch of dead Homunculi, along with shattered golems. Sieg couldn't help himself, dashing out, before cradling one of them, an older female Homunculus. The female Homunculus was still alive, surprisingly. She seemed astonished that Sieg was coming back (once she saw through the Disillusionment Charm from Sieg's interaction with her), but eventually agreed to escort them back and help them with their task, healing her injuries with her magic. She was the only survivor in what had been apparently an attempt to attack Rider of Red.

Thankfully, their charms held up, despite being escorted by the Homunculus. They reached one of the entrances to the castle, avoiding a courtyard where Avicebron was indoctrinating Spartacus. Then, they made their way through the castle, and found themselves in the chamber where the Homunculi were kept.

Harry stared at the chamber, where dozens of Homunculi floated in tanks filled with glowing green liquid, their only concession to modesty being utilitarian undergarments. "Merlin…" he breathed in horror. "No wonder you wanted to get the hell out of here, Sieg."

Eve trotted up to one tank, placing a hand on it, her mismatched eyes staring at the Homunculus within. She looked over at Sieg, as if to ask, _How do we do this?_

In answer, Sieg pressed his hand to the tank, the blue lines of magic circuits appearing, and muttered, "_Straβe Gehen._" The tank cracked, and then shattered, Eve catching the Homunculus that flopped out, though not before being drenched in the breathable fluid.

"Hrnngh," Eve growled in annoyance, her messy hair now wet and lank on her face, her dress clinging to her body in ways that, despite the situation, Harry found rather arousing. Though the Homunculus in her arms currently choking up fluid ruined the situation.

"Sorry, Eve," Sieg said apologetically. "Come on, let's hurry…"

* * *

Mordred cackled. "Okay, okay, I'll admit this, Pirate Queen, THIS! IS! AWESOME!"

The Knight of Betrayal was looking over the side of the massive galleon that they were currently riding on. Sirius, Kairi, and Reika flanked Drake, who was currently at the helm. "I'm glad you're impressed, Mordred! Landlubbers and seadogs alike view the _Golden Hind_ with awe! But ahoy there! I spy a fellow Rider!"

Sirius followed her finger, and nodded at the sight of a Hippogriff with a pink-haired figure perched on it. "Jeez, Harry wasn't kidding. He's disturbingly cute."

"Yeah. That's a trap if I ever saw one," Kairi said casually. "Is he about to assault the Hanging Gardens?"

"It seems that way," Reika remarked, looking at the massive structure flying not far away.

The battle that followed was brief, but soon, Astolfo was falling out of the sky, his Hippogriff dissipating. "Hey, Drake, can you catch him?!" Sirius yelped.

"Do Spanish ships burn easily?" she retorted, the _Hind_ diving suddenly, moving faster. Soon, they were under the falling Astolfo, and Mordred rushed out onto the deck, catching the crossdressing Rider with a grunt.

Astolfo shook his head, looking rather battered and bruised. "Hey, aren't you the Saber of Red? What're you doing, helping me out?"

"You helped Harry escape," Sirius said, coming over. "We thought we'd repay the favour. Besides…we're not with the rest of the Red Faction."

"Oh! Are you Harry's godfather? He hoped he would find you!" Astolfo chirped as he got gingerly to his feet.

"Yeah, well, as long as your Master doesn't have you try a mutiny, you're more than welcome to stow away. Otherwise, I'll keelhaul your girly arse," Drake said, looking back at the Hanging Gardens. "Hmm…wonder why they're not firing at us for rescuing you. Probably think you don't matter. That Semiramis bitch probably thought you didn't matter."

"Wait, what? That's definitely a Servant's Noble Phantasm?" Astolfo yelped.

"Yeah, probably their Assassin's," Mordred said.

"An Assassin managed to make that?!" Astolfo demanded incredulously. But then, he yelped, "Oh no…please, don't…" And suddenly, he vanished.

"…A Command Seal, I wager," Drake muttered. "His Master must have wanted him back. But why?"

* * *

Harry knew why. Only an instinct had prevented any of them, save for an unfortunate Homunculus they had just decanted, from being hit by a rather sickly-looking spell. He returned fire almost immediately. He caught a glimpse of Celenike's form diving for cover behind the door to the chamber. "How the hell did she spot us?" he hissed. "We had Disillusionments on."

She either heard his question, or else guessed. "Pathetic little brats. After your escape, Caster and I layered this chamber with a number of detection spells, more than before. Caster detected you, but couldn't make it here. But I could. Now, Rider, by my Command Seal, COME TO ME!" And after a brief noise, they heard her snarl, "And by my second Command Seal, _kill the Homunculus, Potter, and their Servants!_"

"No…don't…" came the voice of Astolfo.

"Pathetic little Servant…I WANT TO SEE YOU SUFFER AS YOU CUT THEM DOWN! SUFFER FOR ME, ASTOLFO! SUFFER FOR DEFYING ME! SUFFER FOR MY PLEASURE! SUFFER! SUFFER! **_SUFFER!_** BY MY THIRD COMMAND SEAL, I REINFORCE THE SECOND!"

However, even as Astolfo staggered in, trying to restrain himself from killing them, Celenike following with a deranged grin on her face, a mist filled the air. Then, they heard Jackie's voice as the mist filled the room, and coughing sounds came from Celenike. "_We come From Hell_," she hissed. "_We are flames and rain and power…let this be a slaughterhouse. __**MARIA THE RIPPER!**_"

Mercifully, the mist obscured what happened next. Though it soon cleared away to reveal what the aftermath was, somewhat less mercifully. Celenike had been quite literally disarmed…as well as disembowelled, clutching at her innards with her remaining hand, the one without Command Seals, her face screwed up in anger and agony. Jackie was standing nearby. "We could have killed you eezy-peezy, but our mother wanted you to suffer," Jackie said, her golden eyes glaring at Celenike. "Yggdmillennia sent the bad man who tried to kill Mummy. And we knew you were like the bad man…no, you are worse. We are called monster, demon, a thing From Hell. But we love our Mummy. We like these people that you wanted to kill. What does that make you?" With that, she stabbed her once more with a dagger, and began dragging the blade slowly through her body. And then, she began singing.

"_Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye,_

_Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,_

_When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing_…"

Celenike began screaming hoarsely, before Jackie ripped the dagger out, and howled into her face, "_WASN'T THAT A DAINTY DISH TO SET BEFORE THE KING?!_" Stabbing her multiple times, she roared…

"_The king was in his counting house counting out his money!_

_The queen was in her parlour eating bread and honey!_

_The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,_

_When down came a blackbird…__**AND BIT OFF HER NOSE!**_"

Jackie lunged forward, biting onto Celenike's face, teeth tearing through her nose, and tearing off a good chunk of her face besides, before spitting it out like gristle. What was left of Celenike's face now had an expression fear mixed in with the anger and pain as she screeched in pain. Then, Celenike ended up having a dagger driven up to the hilt in her skull. With a shudder and a gurgle, she fell silent. Jackie breathed hard, trying to calm herself down, before remembering she had an audience of two Servants, a wizard, and a lot of Homunculi, all of whom were staring at her in fear and shock and horror.

"…We're sorry. But she was a bad lady," she said, surprisingly contritely, helped by her putting her hands behind her back and shuffling one of her feet. Even the fact that she was covered in blood and gore didn't do much to change the fact that she looked little more than a sheepish child.

"…Just try not to do that to the Forvedges, please," Harry said to Jackie. "They're nowhere near as bad as she is, and they don't deserve to die."

"…Okay. But can we do something like that to Darnic?" Jackie asked.

"…We'll see," Harry said. "Just…please don't turn this castle into a slaughterhouse, okay? We're here to rescue people, not kill them."

Sieg turned to Eve. "…Is it too late to back out?" Eve nodded with a contrite grunt. "I should have known…"

**CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

**I was surprised I managed to get this next chapter out so soon. It had what people wanted (more Eve-related fluff and Celenike dying in a graphically horrible manner)…and what they probably didn't want (Celenike dying in a graphically horrible manner). Still, Celenike deserved her fate, and I guess I channelled my inner Stephen King or Thomas Harris. I feel like Jackie was emulating Hannibal Lecter or Francis Dolarhyde for that sequence with Celenike. The nursery rhyme, however, came from elsewhere.**

**In discussions with Gabriel Herrol while discussing my challenge 'My Little Sister, Jack the Ripper', I had this idea that Jackie would whistle 'Oranges and Lemons'. This came from a ****_Doctor Who_**** audio drama called ****_Night Thoughts_****, where a serial killer in the story did the very same thing. There's also a hellish sequence in the penultimate episode of the TV story ****_The Trial of a Timelord_**** where the Doctor, while in the Matrix (a virtual reality powered by minds that was conceived a decade before that story…and over two decades before the Wachowskis did their thing), runs through a nightmarish Victorian London street while hearing ghostly laughter, music, and the singing of 'London Bridge is Falling Down'. That sequence could very well be like something done for ****_Fate/Apocrypha_****, really.**

**I'm not the only one to have a similar idea. TheMaster4444, for their story ****_The Third Faction_****, actually has Jackie singing or quoting from 'Ring Around the Rosy', and 'Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home'. And for all I know, Jackie also did so in the light novels.**

**That being said, I thought to have Jackie sing a nursery rhyme while killing Celenike. 'Oranges and Lemons' didn't quite fit the bill, but 'Four and Twenty Blackbirds' did, because Jackie was basically tearing into Celenike like the pie the blackbirds had been put into (yes, they actually did this, though they cooked the pie long before putting the birds into it: Heston Blumenthal actually did this for one of his shows), and I decided to add the bit at the end that had Jackie biting into Celenike's nose. While she's not seen doing this in the anime, I don't personally think it's out of character. Celenike is one of the Yggdmillennia Magi, and Jackie could tell that she was a nasty sort. That's why, when she used her Noble Phantasm, she deliberately held back. She did hack off the hand with the Command Seals, freeing Astolfo from Celenike's control, so Sieg's going to get Astolfo a little earlier than in canon.**

**Okay, so, enough of Jackie and her macabre ways. I hope the fluff at the beginning of the chapter helped you endure the horror. Eve is growing closer to Harry, Sieg's found himself in bad company, Jackie is enjoying herself a little too much, and the Hanging Gardens are looming. The next chapter will be a while coming. However, I have posted a new story called ****_My Beautiful Huntress_****, pairing Harry with the Nasuverse's best catgirl, Atalanta. Oh, and he's raised by Artemis. I'm sure more than a few of you know it's been posted already, but still, if you haven't read it yet, go check it out.**

**If you want some sweetness to balance out the horror you just witnessed, certain chapters of ****_Fragments of Chaldea_**** by GhostXavier should be up your alley. For Eve-related goodness, 'A Sincere Understanding' and 'Moments I Treasure'. For Jackie-related adorableness, go for 'Maternal Instincts' (Atalanta-centric, but with a lot of Jackie, and Alice) and 'Greedy for Warmth'. Just some warning, you'll probably get cavities in the process…**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	13. Chapter 12: The Edge of Destruction

**CHAPTER 12:**

**THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION**

Sirius frowned. "Sorry, what happened?"

"That rather appalling woman your godson spoke of, Celenike…she tried forcing Astolfo to murder him, along with the others. I had Jackie kill her, _slowly_. After confiscating her Command Seals, of course," Reika said, giving a rather unnerving smile, despite the fact that she was speaking of killing another person.

"Good riddance," Mordred sneered. "How are the others?"

"Well…given Astolfo is lacking a Master, Sieg seems to be volunteering. Well, another Servant the Black Faction has lost is only a good thing. That's…three down? Saber, Berserker, and Rider? Two defected to us, and a third now dead," Reika said.

"Doesn't mean a damn thing," Drake said, as she manned the helm. "Numbers are not all that determine a battle. Look at Thermopylae. A pissy little army of Greeks led by 300 Spartans managed to hold off hundreds of thousands of Persian soldiers because they chose the right place to fight. Yggdmillennia have had seven decades to prepare. Then again, if what Jeanne d'Arc thinks is true, then so's that bilge rat of a priest. So, our best chance of winning is to be a fly in the ointment, a wild card, the unexpected storm blowing up out of nowhere. You know that old saying about no plan surviving contact with the enemy? Well, we're the enemy here."

"Do you think you could do any damage to that fortress?" Sirius asked.

"Tough question," Drake remarked. "My Noble Phantasm is Anti-Army, not Anti-Fortress. Ditto Mordred's. And that thing is most definitely a fortress. If we attacked with our Noble Phantasms simultaneously, we might just be able to do some damage. Still, that damned thing's not without defences, as you saw with Astolfo."

Mordred, who was looking over the side of the railing, frowned. "Okay…that was a serious dick move."

"What was?" Kairi asked, joining his Servant at the railing and looking down. "Yeesh, look what fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

Sirius joined them, as did Reika. "What in the name of Merlin's saggy nutsack is that blobby thing?" he asked in disgust, as he watched a mutated mass of meat attack a much smaller figure.

"I don't think Merlin's scrote was saggy. He was too much of a pretty boy for that. But I think that used to be Berserker of Red," Mordred muttered. "I saw some bitch with cat ears, I think it was Archer of Red, lure him to…well, that's Ruler down there. I think that priest really has it out for her, whether he's a Ruler or not. Oi, Drake, you reckon you can give her a hand?"

"Well, I suppose," Drake said, quickly bringing the _Hind_ down closer to the ground. "AHOY THERE, YOU SCURVY LAND-LUBBER!" she roared at Berserker.

The creature turned to her. "_Another oppressor? You too shall receive my love! Spartacus will crush ALL OPPRESSORS!_" he roared back.

Drake grinned, dashing onto the bow as the Berserker lumbered towards them. As Sirius watched, ghostly ships emerged from ripples in space nearby. Cannons also appeared, massive and intimidating. "_HEAR ME, SPARTACUS, AND ENGRAVE THIS INTO YOUR MEMORY! I AM FRANCIS DRAKE, EL DRAGO, AND I AM THE WOMAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE SUN! __**GOLDEN WILD HUNT!**_"

With that, she fired off her flintlocks, a seemingly futile gesture against the mutated Berserker. But that was the cue for blasts of energy to lance forth, pelting Spartacus with searing light. Mordred then yelled at Jeanne, "Look, I know you wanna be neutral, but I don't think the rest of the Red Faction give a fuck! Climb on!"

Jeanne, after a moment's hesitation, leapt on board with supernatural strength. "Get us out of here with all due haste, Rider of Red!" the saint demanded. "That won't keep him down for long!"

"I can see that, Ruler," Drake said grimly, rushing back to the helm and raising the _Hind_ to what she hoped was a safe height. Spartacus' body was swelling and rippling and glowing in rather ominous ways. "Sink me, what will it take to kill this bastard?!"

"It's his Noble Phantasm, Crying Warmonger," Jeanne said grimly. "It absorbs damage, regenerates it, and stores up mana from the attacks. But after a certain point of catastrophic damage, well…" She gestured at the blobby form of what was once the rebellious gladiator.

"He starts looking like something out of a _Resident Evil_ game," Reika remarked. "Can he die?"

"…I don't know, at least as far as attacks against him are concerned. An Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm might be able to do it, but I can't be sure. And with all that magical energy stored away…"

"He's a bomb with a hair-trigger," Kairi whispered in horrified realisation. "Shit. If he goes off too close to Trifas…"

"Not only that. I think that, when he does rupture…he can do it as a directed blast, possibly Anti-Fortress in level. If he decides to unleash it at Trifas…"

"All those people," Sirius whispered in horror. "Yggdmillennia has a lot to answer for, but there's still the Forvedges, the people of Trifas…and Harry's still at the castle!"

* * *

Astolfo sighed in relief. "Thanks, Sieg! You really saved my bacon by making a new contract. And…Assassin, was it? While I don't like the fact that you killed my Master so…messily, I'm grateful you stopped her from making me kill my friends."

Jackie smiled at the crossdressing Rider. "You're welcome. Harry said you were a bit weird, but a nice guy. Your old Master was a mean bully, and a bad woman."

Sieg grimaced, even as the female Homunculus they had rescued from the battlefield, who have the name of Toole, cleaned up Celenike's remains. It was his first time witnessing death, after all, and a particularly brutal and horrific one. "Did she deserve to die?" Sieg asked.

"She and Darnic," Harry said grimly. Celenike's death may have been brutal, but she reminded him too much of Bellatrix Lestrange. Someone like that shouldn't exist in the world. Though he wondered why the liquid from the tanks seemed to be looking a touch muddy. "Don't get me wrong, the Forvedges we're definitely sparing, and Gordes, while a pompous prick, I'm not sure he deserves to. Ditto that creepy little sod Roche. But Darnic…he merges with infant souls to remain eternally young. That being said, how are we going to get these Homunculi out of here safely?"

"I'll deal with that," Toole said stoically. "However, you should make haste. If what Celenike said was true, then Caster had detection abilities built into the Bounded Field here. He may realise something has gone wrong soon, unless he is busy with another matter."

"I was," came the voice of Avicebron, who was in the door, flanked by Roche. A number of golems also entered the room, not the bulky combat models, but the slender ones used as servants. More of the combat models emerged from other entrances. "However, it seems that I came here at the right moment." He then snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the muddy liquid around them enveloped them, turning into restraints, rock-hard, restraining the three Servants, Harry, and the two Homunculi who could do anything more than breathe or sit up.

"What the hell?!" Harry yelped.

"My security system, which I enhanced after your escape, Potter," Avicebron said. "On my command, I can have golems secreted throughout the room in liquid form solidify to restrain those on my will. Just as well Celenike perished. I was admittedly preoccupied when I sent her to intercept you. She is…was a most irrational woman, and would have killed you. You and the Homunculus are very valuable to me. One of you will become the reactor core for my Noble Phantasm, Golem Keter Melkuth."

Harry stared at the impassive golden mask of Avicebron, and the delighted-looking face of Roche. "You bastards," Harry said. "You're willing to sacrifice my life, just to create your stupid bloody Noble Phantasm?!"

"Shut up!" Roche retorted. "You don't get to talk to Teacher like that, you traitor!"

"You will not die, merely become one with my Noble Phantasm," Avicebron said. "I'm still undecided whether to use you or the Homunculus."

"_Sieg_…" growled Eve as she struggled against the muddy restraints, electricity crackling around her. "His…name…is…**_Sieg_**…"

Avicebron scoffed quietly. "He has no name, any more than you do, Berserker. Victor Frankenstein wished to make you his Eve, but he never gave you a name because he saw you for what you are, a failed creation, not even approaching perfection. I intend to use my Noble Phantasm to recreate Eden. And I will not let either of you stand in the way of what has been my most fervent dream since…WHAT?!"

Avicebron's usually calm and measured tones suddenly rose in shock. And Harry soon saw why. Sieg was flaring with energy, before the Homunculus was consumed in light, and the sound of the golem restraints shattering. In the brief moment of blindness that followed, there was a snarl of pain, and then, as Harry blinked the glare from his eyes, he saw that Avicebron was now pinned to a wall of the laboratory, his mask slipping off, revealing a tanned face with a golden beard, and golden eyes(1). Blood dribbled from his mouth as he stared at his killer in astonishment, anger, and even awe.

His killer appeared to be Siegfried, his sword pinning Avicebron to the wall. And yet, Harry knew it wasn't. "…Sieg?"

"I see…" Avicebron rasped. "Siegfried donating his heart to you did this…you're a Demi-Servant…yet another disappointing life, to end it without completing my Adam. And yet…to see something like this…" He chuckled painfully, motes of light wafting from his body. "At least I have seen…something truly…impossible…and wondrous…before the end…" Then, to Roche, he said, "…You were…my best…student…Roche…carry on…our…" And with that, he faded away completely. With Avicebron's death, the restraints on the others melted back into muddy slurry.

Roche screamed, in utter dismay, "TEACHERRRRRR!" He turned on Sieg angrily. "YOU MONSTER! WHY DID YOU KILL TEACHER?! HE WAS WORTH MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD!"

Sieg just looked at the young boy pityingly, before knocking him out. Then, he flared with light, and Sieg's body returned to normal. Panting with exhaustion, he began carrying Roche, with more than a little effort due to his exhaustion, over to the others. "What do we do with him?" Jackie asked.

"…As much as he is a vicious little bastard, we'll leave him be for now," Harry said. "He has no Servant, and he's only a kid." He looked at Toole. "Can you look after him?"

The female Homunculus nodded. "What will you do now?"

"…We'll need to find a way to ensure your safety," Harry said. "Plus, we're not sure we can trust the priest in charge of the Red Faction, as he may be a Ruler Servant left over from the previous one. We've already warned the Black Faction, but I'm worried about the Forvedges. I don't think they actually meant me any real harm, did they Eve?"

Eve shook her head. "Hmph!"

"They now only have Lancer and Archer on their side. Berserker, Assassin and Rider are on our side, Caster and Saber are dead, and…"

Jackie suddenly yelled, "We need to get out of here now! Berserker of Red is about to explode!"

* * *

"Set me down here, now!" Jeanne demanded.

"What do you mean? You can't stand against whatever he intends to unleash, it's suicide!" Sirius protested angrily.

"I have a number of Noble Phantasms at my disposal. _Luminosité Eternelle_ is one of them." She brandished her flag. "It is a symbol of how I rallied my troops in life with hardly any wounds. It effectively allows me to throw up a protective barrier around myself and anyone nearby. At the very least, while I won't be able to block Spartacus' blast entirely, I will be able to protect Trifas and at least part of the Yggdmillennia citadel, if only because of how I block the attack." Jeanne seemed to lose patience, before leaping off the _Golden Hind_, and yelled up at them. "_Get away from here, __**now!**_"

"You heard the lass," Drake said, bringing the _Hind_ up from the ground.

"We need to get to the castle, now!" Sirius yelled.

"There isn't time! You should've given them Portkeys to evacuate with!"

"I didn't think they'd have a ticking time bomb to deal with! I thought the Servants would be enough to deal with any problems!" Sirius grimaced. He should have thought this out more. But between Azkaban, his frustration at being cooped up in 12 Grimmauld Place, and his confidence Harry would be able to handle what came their way, conspired to have him believe things would work themselves out. And that stupidity could cost Harry his life…

* * *

Harry sent Astolfo to retrieve the Forvedges, as he could use his Hippogriff to get them out of the castle easily. Meanwhile, he, along with Sieg and Toole, were directing the golems left over from Avicebron's attack, those that hadn't dissolved, to help carry the Homunculi out. They were just carrying them out when suddenly, they heard a distant roar of "_THIS! IS! __**SPARTACUS!**_" Eve, on instinct, flung Harry and Sieg down to the ground, covering them with her body, an ultimately futile gesture if Spartacus' attack was powerful enough.

What they heard next was…well, it was difficult to call it anything as mundane as a mere _sound_. It was as if reality itself was vibrating some eldritch note, an unpleasant droning twanging roar filling the air, and their bones. It was as if the very Devil himself was playing a chord on some hellish instrument. Even with his eyes shut, the violet glare all but blinded Harry. He only knew that survived because the only sound he could hear was the bass thud of his heart in his chest. That, and the weight of Eve's body partly on his own.

He found himself helped to his feet by Eve, blinking his eyes to get rid of the afterimage. He almost jumped at the touch of a hand. "…Okay," he suddenly heard the voice of Fiore. "I just healed your eardrums and eyes."

He blinked, and found Fiore being carried by Astolfo in a bridal carry. Harry looked around. Sieg, Eve, Jackie, and the Homunculi looked to be relatively unharmed. However, a significant amount of damage had been done to the castle. "…What about Trifas?"

Astolfo nodded. "It's okay. I saw it from above, and the blast seemed to miss the town. At best they're going to deal with shattered windows. Something or someone managed to block part of the attack, I think."

Fiore looked at Harry. "Thanks for sending Rider to fetch us both. I don't know whether our room was damaged by the blast, but still…"

"You're welcome. As long as you're not going to kill me, I won't kill you," Harry said. He then looked up at the sky, where the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were fast approaching. "Besides…I think we have more urgent priorities, don't you agree?"

Eve's grunt was really only an affirmation of what they were all thinking. Shirou Kotomine, whether he planned on something like this happening in the first place, or else was merely taking advantage of the situation (the latter was most likely), was moving in towards his prize. Still, there was some hope. Hovering just behind and underneath the Hanging Gardens was the _Golden Hind_. Which meant that there was still some possibility to salvage this mess…

**CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Okay, I know I said the next chapter may not be out for a while. But I found the inspiration for this one at least. The next chapter may not be for a while, though. I know you might be getting sick of me saying it, but it has to be said.**

**Now, Sieg has transformed for the first time, and Avicebron has bit the dust. I didn't think Avicebron wouldn't leave his workshop, or at least the Homunculus lab, unattended for very long if he knew something was up. But I didn't know how to resolve the situation, until I remembered Sieg and his transformation. So I thought having Sieg transform for the first time and skewer Avicebron was a nice solution to it.**

**It was also an apt way to deal with Avicebron. Avicebron…I would have more sympathy for, if he didn't betray Roche like he did. Sure, Roche is a misanthropic little sociopath who needed a kick up the arse, but being basically eaten by a massive golem? I actually think of Avicebron as one of the duller Servants (not just of ****_Fate/Apocrypha_****, but of the Nasuverse in general), despite the whole saga with his Noble Phantasm in the second half of the series. He doesn't even really seem like much of a villain, even with his misanthropy. Even his monomania on completing his mega-golem isn't really focused on as much as it could have, at least in the anime, and he comes across, in the end, as a poor Xerox of Shirou Kotomine, given his obsession with bringing Paradise to the world. I'm not that sure about the light novels and how much they add to his characterisation.**

**Anyway, I thought this, oddly enough, was a more fitting end for him, dying at the hand of one he intended to exploit. Yeah, he sort of does so in canon, with Sieg being one of those attacking the mega-golem, but I also felt it fitting that, not only does he die with his dream unfulfilled, but he dies without betraying Roche. I also wrote in that bit where he admires Sieg's Demi-Servant form as he dies to give him a touch of humanity he sorely needed, and make his death just a little more heartwarming.**

**Review-answering time! I have to admit, I'm actually a little chuffed at the reaction I got for Celenike's death, even if it put one or two of you off your meals. I tend to write Jackie as just plain adorable in the fics that feature her (probably as an antidote to her canon appearances, where her adorable nature is vastly outweighed by her more macabre tendencies), so I needed to write a scene that showed that, while adorable and potentially redeemable, she is still ****_Jack the Ripper_****.**

**1\. While Avicebron's face in life is partly shown in the anime, the face of his Servant form never is, beyond a single golden eye. Given the blond hair spilling out of his hood, compared to the dark hair he has in flashbacks, I feel that he looks like Liquid Snake from ****_Metal Gear Solid_****, but with a darker tan and a beard, along with golden eyes. This is mainly because Liquid's voice actor in English, Cam Clarke, is the same as Avicebron's.**


	14. Chapter 13: Frankenstein vs Dracula vs

**CHAPTER 13:**

**FRANKENSTEIN VERSUS DRACULA VERSUS THE EXORCIST!**

Caules, at least, was the first to break that silence. "Rider, you attacked that, right? What sort of defences does it have?"

"The sort that hurts like hell," Astolfo remarked, peering up at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. "That witch was playing with me. Hey, didn't Harry send that warning that she was Semiramis? Since when did an Assyrian Empress have a Flying Fortress of Doom™?"

"Astolfo, please, focus," Sieg said urgently. "Do you think there's any way we can get on board?"

"I dunno…but don't you think it's ominous how they're just hanging overhead like that? And hey, isn't the Greater Grail now exposed?"

"…Just out of interest," Harry said, "is it possible to create something like a tractor beam using magic? Aside from a summoning charm?"

Caules paled. "…Yes."

"If they do, I'll get Chiron to enter the Hanging Gardens," Fiore said. "Rider, I know you have a new Master, but if Shirou Kotomine really is a Servant, we need to stop him. Harry, I know you have your issues with Yggdmillennia, but…"

"Yeah, I'll help stop him. You willing to do this, Eve?"

"Hngh!" Eve grunted, hefting the Bridal Chest.

As if on cue, a vortex of energy spiralled down towards the ruined Yggdmillennia castle, and a massive, hollowed-out sphere, presumably the Greater Grail, rose into the air. "I think that's our cue," Harry said.

Eve nodded, before grabbing him in a bridal carry, and leaping onto a piece of debris rising into the air. Astolfo soon followed suit with Sieg, Jackie leaping up as well. Chiron landed on the debris next to Harry, and looked at them. "Good to see you again, Harry, Eve, even if I wish it were under better circumstances. Tell me…is it true that the supervisor of the Red Faction is a Ruler?"

"We think he is. Ruler brought the possibility up, it's why her summoning went awry. It's as good a theory as any. Did Darnic confirm that?"

"He did confirm that in the Third Holy Grail War, the von Einzbern family summoned a Ruler Servant, a Japanese, though I don't think he learned the name of the Servant," Chiron said. "He also believed that Servant to be dead at the time."

They were soon reaching the top, Vlad Tepes having hitched a ride himself on floating debris, along with about half a dozen Homunculi. "Well, he forgot to check more thoroughly," Harry snarked, as Eve leapt onto a walkway, setting him down gently, as did Astolfo. He looked at Vlad. "We're good to fight together?"

"For now," Vlad said grimly. "It's better that we have more on our side to stop this false Ruler and his peons. One never developed indigestion from swallowing one's pride, anyway(1). Besides, they lack Saber and Rider on their side, to say nothing of Berserker. We outnumber and outgun them."

Harry knew that Eve was rolling her eyes beneath her fringe. "And pride comes before the fall, believe me, I know that much," Harry said. "Their Assassin, Semiramis, has elements of a Caster, according to Jeanne. That includes Territory Creation."

"…Lancer," Chiron said to Vlad, using his class name while in enemy territory. "If that is true, then…it's possible that you are cut off from the power you draw from the land and people of Romania."

Vlad's face twisted into a snarl of anger. "Damnation!" he snapped. "…Still…we must press on, to punish those who would steal from us so boldly and with impunity. Potter…Homunculus…stay back from the main fighting. You may be our allies only by necessity, but I would rather fight you on honourable terms. Keep Assassin with you if you are in need of protection. Berserker…you will fight by our side?"

"Hmm!" Eve grunted.

"Lancer…my name is Sieg," Sieg said. And he met Vlad's glare almost unflinchingly.

"…Sieg…a good name, a tribute to your saviour. Do all you can to live up to it, Sieg," Vlad said, before he turned to look down the corridor, at an approaching figure. A pale one, clad in a figure-hugging black bodysuit, with icy blue eyes and white hair, wielding a massive golden spear. "…Lancer of Red."

"Karna," Harry said, remembering what he learned about the identity of Lancer of Red. "Why did you attack Jeanne d'Arc?"

The pale man shrugged. "My Master ordered me to. Even if I didn't like doing so, we Servants are at the beck and call of our Masters."

"And yet, you've got that priest pulling the strings," Harry said. "A priest who may be a leftover Ruler from the Third Holy Grail War." Karna's eyes widened slightly in shock. "But I hate people who say they're just obeying orders. The best Master and Servant relationship is not when the Servant jumps when the Master barks. No, it's when a Servant and their Master have a rapport, a genuine relationship, a camaraderie. I may have to stand back when Eve does the fighting…but I trust her. Whereas you…well, I don't know enough about your legend to know whether you're trying to compensate for something with that spear, but even if your Master is willingly working with the priest to fuck things up, he's definitely compensating for something with your spear."

After a moment, Karna's lips twitched in a slight smile. "You may be right about my Master. However, I am here to guard this domain against intruders. You may come at me alone, Lancer of Black, or with your allies, I care little."

"Lancer…do you wish us to fight by your side?" Chiron asked.

"…I will fight this cur one on one, as I did before, but if there is an opening, take it, Archer," Vlad said. "The same goes for you, Rider. I will live with a bruised pride if I truly am weakened away from my kingdom. Berserker…Eve…protect your Master and Sieg. This one is dangerous. An Indian demigod bearing the powers of fire and the Sun…fight him only if need be. We both fight for our wishes…but perhaps you have obtained something you desired without the Grail."

Eve and Harry watched Vlad ready himself for his assault on Karna with some respect. Not the respect for his power, which was already there, but rather, some respect for Vlad's compassion. For all that Vlad was the enemy, he at least had something more to him than that.

The fight was brief, but painful to watch. While Vlad's strength was still superhuman, it was clearly not on Karna's level, and Karna seemed to be toying with him. After finishing one clash, Vlad sagged to one knee, panting. "So, it's true. That slattern of an Assassin of yours can use Territory Creation, and I am cut off from the power of my own country."

"Yes. I'd ask if you'd want to retreat, but I know you already, Vlad Tepes," Karna said. "You're too proud. Do not misunderstand me, you are very much an opponent worth fighting, but the end will come sooner rather than later."

"No," said a cold voice from a gallery nearby. Harry looked up to see Darnic glaring down at them, coldly. "Get to your feet, Vlad III. Stand and fight…"

* * *

Eve looked up at Darnic. Their eyes met briefly, and in a moment, _she __**knew**__ him_. She knew him far better than she did before.

There was something of her creator in that look of cold disdain and contempt. But with Victor Frankenstein, it was mixed in with fear. And to tell the truth, she realised, in hindsight, that Victor hated himself for bringing a flawed creation into the world. Not as much as he hated or feared her, but he at least blamed himself for part of what happened.

What she saw in Darnic, however, was worse than Victor Frankenstein. It was a haughty, contemptuous sneer, a complete confidence in his own sense of superiority. Whatever respect he had for his Lancer Servant was gone, if it were ever genuine in the first place. He saw Vlad Tepes as a tool, nothing more. And she felt a shiver of foreboding go down her spine. Because she knew Darnic had to have a plan.

"Still, with Potter and the runaway Homunculus back…this makes things simpler. I'm already aware that Avicebron is lost to us, as is Astolfo. I will be sure to repay your treachery once the Greater Grail is back in our hands where it belongs," Darnic said.

"Fuck you, Darnic!" Harry snapped. "I tried to help by warning you about Shirou Kotomine, and this is the thanks we get?"

"A traitor is a traitor, something Lancer should understand, given how he fell to treachery. Of course, he needn't fall a second time…should he use his biggest trump card. You do have a Noble Phantasm kept in reserve, after all."

"…Darnic…I think you are either hard of hearing or hard of thinking, because I seem to recall saying that if you ever had me use that Noble Phantasm, I would put an end to your life," Vlad snarled.

"…What Noble Phantasm is that?" Astolfo asked.

"Legend of Dracula," Vlad spat out, as if the very name was poison. "I despise the libel that painted me as a thrice-damned Dead Apostle, a vampire. I warned Darnic that if he should even consider using it, I would kill him, but it seems his advanced years are telling on his memory. He forgets his place."

"You forget _your_ place, **_familiar!_**" Darnic roared, his composure now lost. "You forget the very definitions of the words 'Master' and 'Servant'! I played along, giving the due respect for one of your station in life, but you forget, the dead serve the living! By my Command Seal, I order you, Vlad Tepes, to use your Noble Phantasm, LEGEND OF DRACULA!"

Vlad began to convulse and spasm, his body warping in unnatural ways. So too was his voice. "Darnic! You _treacherous **bastard!**_"

"Stop this!" Astolfo screamed at Darnic. "Can't you see what you're doing to him?!"

"What I am doing is forcing him to accept reality!" Darnic jeered, a vicious grin on his features. "Don't be afraid of who you truly are, Count Dracula! Now, by my second Command Seal, I order you to…GURK!"

Vlad, or rather, the monster he had become, had sped up to the gallery where Darnic was, and had impaled him to the wall with his spear. His skin was grey, his eyes glowing red, his face no longer dignified but distorted and monstrous, his limbs clawed. And yet, he grinned in vicious triumph. "…**_Don't be so smug, Darnic_**," he rasped out through a distorted voice. "**_I will ensure that what little victory you have in forcing me to your will will be Pyrrhic._**"

"…By my second Command Seal, you will do everything in your power to seek the Grail." And then, as Vlad began drinking Darnic's blood, chewing on his neck, Darnic kept laughing. "And by my third Command Seal, _ENGRAVE MY VERY SOUL ONTO YOUR OWN, VLAD TEPES! LET US BECOME ONE! __**AN IMMORTAL MONSTER THAT WILL GAIN THE ULTIMATE POWER!**_"

Suddenly, Darnic's hand, the one with his Command Seals, went flying, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Jackie landed on the gallery near Vlad and Darnic. "We come From Hell. Go there, and stay there," Jackie said, only to have her eyes widen as Darnic's body disappeared, and Vlad swatted the Assassin into a wall, digging a crater in it.

"Jackie!" Harry yelled. "Are you all right?"

"Owie…" Jackie moaned, pulling herself out of the crater. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened to warn Harry. Harry found himself hurled through the air, but by Eve, who blocked the vampire's attack with the Bridal Chest.

Darnic's voice, distorted and overlapping with Vlad's, sneered. "**_Oh, look at you, Frankenstein's Monster facing off against Dracula! This is a horror movie cliché come to life, but with an ending you're well aware of. After all, in the movies, Dracula always comes back from the grave, but Frankenstein's Monster _****_always_****_ stays _****_DEAD!_**"

"…Not…a monster…" Eve snarled, before suddenly screaming, with a surprising rise in clarity in her speech born from a pure and righteous anger, "_I AM __**NOT**__ A MONSTER! THE ONLY MONSTER HERE IS __**YOU**__, DARNIC!_" A blast of electricity smashed the vampire away. "And you will _not_ take him from me!"

"**_HA!_**" Darnic sneered, his stolen, malformed body lurching to its feet. "**_Do you really believe that you can stop me? Better people than a malfunctioning failure of a cyborg Homunculus have tried, and FAILED. I will gain access to Akasha, and I refuse to let anyone, not Clock Tower, not Yggdmillennia, and certainly not a paltry platter of upstart familiars get in my way!_**"

"TRAP OF ARGALIA!" Astolfo yelled, and a jet of light from his lance smashed into the vampire's leg, dissolving it into particles. Karna then impaled the vampire with his own lance, while Chiron fired an arrow through its skull. It instantly dissolved into mist, and reformed near Harry, Sieg and the Homunculi.

Eve leapt forward and batted the vampire away in a blast of green electricity. "I told you, you will not take him from me!" she screeched at the vampire. "You will take none of my friends from me!"

"**_YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!_**" Darnic roared. He lunged towards Sieg, only for Sieg to flare with light. A crunch and a wet gurgle heralded the tableau that greeted Eve's eyes when the light faded. Once more, Sieg had become Siegfried, impaling the vampire on Balmung.

"I may be afraid," Sieg said, the words coming out in Siegfried's voice, "but I'm not going to let that stop me." He wrenched Balmung out of the vampire's chest, and then swung, taking off the head of the vampire.

But the body dissolved into mist that reformed near the Homunculi. Only Sieg's quick acting prevented them from being devoured. "What have they ever done to you?!" he roared.

"**_They exist! They will be my sustenance and minions both! And a counterfeit Servant like you should_**…" Darnic's voice suddenly broke off as his body convulsed and spasmed.

The corridor seemed to fill with a grey mist as Jackie began using her Noble Phantasm again. Then, they heard Vlad's voice, distorted, coming from the beast. "**_Damn you, Darnic! I will not make it easy on you, you treacherous bastard! I'd rather die than be your slave!_**"

"_We come From Hell_," Harry heard Jackie intone for the second time that night. "_We are flames and rain and power…let this be a slaughterhouse. __**MARIA THE RIPPER!**_"

He hoped that her Noble Phantasm would do some damage. Thanks to Reika, he knew the attack did its best work against a female target on a misty night. Thanks to the mist Jackie cloaked the area with, two out of the conditions would be fulfilled. But as the mist cleared, Harry knew it hadn't worked. Instead, Jackie was being held up by the throat by the vampire, kicking futilely at the grotesquely elongated arm. The vampire was wounded, but not lethally so.

"**_I know what you are, you little brat_**," Darnic snarled. "**_With these eyes, I can see you, a gestalt of souls that should never have been born. I have eaten infant souls before. I wonder what you will taste like._**"

But even as the Servants lunged to help Jackie, they suddenly glowed, and the vampire screeched in pain as the attacks seemingly did more damage than before. Jackie wriggled free and leapt away. "My apologies for being late with the Command Seals," came the familiar voice of Jeanne, "but I needed to assess the situation first. Then again, it's clear, Darnic, that you are a threat that can no longer be countenanced. Should you reach the Grail, you'd threaten the safety of the world."

The vampire's head twisted around to face her with a sickening cracking noise. "**_You hypocritical WHORE! DO YOU THINK ANY MAGUS WOULD DESIRE THE ROOT FOR ALTRUISTIC REASONS?! IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS, YOU'D HAVE TO KILL EVERY SINGLE MASTER IN A GRAIL WAR! I CARE NOT FOR YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUS BLEATING! YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!_**"

"Maybe not…but I can."

The calm voice came from behind them, and a young man with white hair and tanned skin, his eyes bronze, dressed in robes. Eve found herself instantly on edge around him. He was being followed by a stern-looking green haired woman with cat ears and a tail. "…**_You_**…" Darnic growled, but in surprise and horror. "**_So they told the truth after all._**"

Jeanne, meanwhile, was watching the newcomer warily. "…So we were right. You are Shirou Amakusa Tokisada…"

"Yes, Jeanne d'Arc. Now, excuse me a moment, but I need to clean up the trash. I've waited decades for this moment." With a gesture, Shirou hurled bayonets into Darnic. "Vampires may be powerful," he observed calmly as Darnic howled in pain, the bayonets erupting into actinic fire, "but they come with manifold weaknesses as standard. Black Keys, being cleansing weapons, are especially effective, though these ones I have modified through my own means are even more so. I know more than a few of my former colleagues in the Burial Agency wanted what I customised."

"**_MERCY!_**" screamed Darnic.

"Mercy? Is that what my Master begged for? Well, I shall give you the very mercy you gave her. Death." More bayonets were hurled, and the vampire collapsed to the floor, alight with azure flames. "Time to pray. _I shall go kill, and I shall let live. I harm, and I heal. There are none who shall escape from my grasp, and none who shall escape from my sight. Be crushed. Those defeated, those grown old, I welcome you. Devote yourself to me, learn from me, obey me, and you can rest. I am light, and I shall relieve all of your burdens. Ask forgiveness. I, the reincarnation, shall swear…__**Kyrie eleison**__._"

The last phrase was accompanied by the priest hurling one last bayonet into the now-desiccated skull of what had once been Vlad Tepes. All that was left was ashes, and a few patches of azure flame. And through it all, Shirou only had that unnervingly calm smile, that beatific smile, something that scared Eve far more than Darnic fused with Vlad ever did.

It was the smile of a man who, despite being surrounded by enemies, was sure he had already won.

**CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Well…I'm not sure how I managed to squeeze this one out. Having a cold is never conducive to writing, and yet, I managed this one. Not sure when the next one will be out, but hey, I hope you enjoyed this one.**

**Eve speaking in full sentences…I think this is partly her evolution as a character and partly because her anger towards Darnic is righteous, and it breaks through the limiters on her speech. In a way, her love or at least affection towards Harry is breaking down the barrier of her speech.**

**Review-answering time! ****Skull Flame****: Oh, in ****_Fate/Apocrypha_****, Spartacus was ridiculously tough to kill. While we don't see it in the fanfic (though I hope to have a version of the scene in ****_My Beautiful Huntress_****), Atalanta unleashes her go-to Noble Phantasm, Phoebus Catastrophe, directly onto Spartacus. This is what triggers Spartacus' transformation into something that looks like a G-Virus monster from ****_Resident Evil 2_****.**

**Ultimate-Zelda-Fan****: Well, it could have caused the anime cliché of an explosive nosebleed.**

**1\. Vlad is aping Aramaki's lines from ****_Cash Eye_****, the third episode of ****_Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2_****_nd_****_ GiG_****.**


	15. Chapter 14: Icarus Falling

**CHAPTER 14:**

**ICARUS FALLING**

Harry looked at the dust gently wafting down the corridor, the mortal remains of Vlad Tepes, and Darnic. He had, admittedly mixed feelings about what happened. On the one hand, Darnic was an evil bastard, and what he did to Vlad cemented that. And it wasn't like Vlad was innocent either, given what he did in life. And yet…Vlad had a nobility that Darnic lacked, and even tried to resist Darnic's control. Vlad had even shown some small respect to Sieg.

"…Ashes to ashes," he muttered. "Dust to dust." Something to mark Vlad's passing, if nothing else. He then looked up at Shirou. He was the only human (well, unless you counted Sieg, and given the Homunculus' newfound ability to transform, that was a touch iffy) present, surrounded by Servants. Some were most definitely his enemy. The pale Karna. The cat-eared woman watching them warily.

But none set him on edge as Shirou did. True, something about the priest had jangled at the instincts of Sirius and Kairi, and Harry could see why. He was too calm, too collected, too serene. He didn't seem even remotely human, despite his appearance, despite his little smile.

"So, you're Harry Potter?" Shirou asked. "A pleasure to meet you, though judging by your expression, it's far from mutual. And…the Homunculus…"

"His name…is Sieg," Eve snarled.

"…Very well. Sieg it is."

"While we're introducing ourselves, who's the catgirl?" Harry asked.

"Archer of Red, Atalanta, the Huntress of Arcadia, a foundling raised by the Greek goddess Artemis," Jeanne supplied. "The only female Argonaut, unless you count Medea of Colchis. Normally, I would not consider exposing her identity so cavalierly, but as the Red Faction have a Ruler suborning them…"

"It's a rather harsh thing to say, that I suborned them, but otherwise, you are correct. I have discerned the true names of the Yggdmillennia Servants present. Chiron, the Sage of Heroes. Astolfo, the Paladin of Charlemagne. Eve, the creation of Victor Frankenstein. I overheard your new name while watching Vlad infiltrate. And Jack the Ripper, perpetrator of the Whitechapel Murders. While technically you are trespassers, I bid you welcome all the same."

"Funny, coming from the guy who tried to have Jeanne killed at least once," Harry snarked. "That's not very priestly behaviour, is it?"

"True, but I am also, amongst other things, an Executor from the Burial Agency. In short, I hunted vampires and rogue Magi. I mean my fellow Christian little ill-will, but she would be a hindrance to my plans," Shirou said.

"And the other Masters of the Red Faction?"

"Oh, they're still alive and…well. Drugged, yes, but alive and well," Shirou said. "Your godfather and Mr Sisigou were considerably more canny, but I do not mind. Even if they were not under my aegis, they have done superlative work for my cause. So have you, and Eve."

"And does that make us friends? Because your tone suggests we're friends, even though you've drugged up the other Masters of Red."

"Exactly," Eve snarled. "Don't you _dare_ talk to us like you are our friend. You're _not!_"

"She's rather verbose for a Berserker, isn't she?" Atalanta remarked. "Better than our Berserker was."

"Eve's counterpart from the novel was intelligent and eloquent," Shirou said. "Though I have the feeling that this is a recent development. Still, Eve…I would have thought you would have appreciated someone treating you with amiability rather than the contempt your creator and many others offered you. You may have been born of the hubris of a man playing God, but you are equally as deserving of salvation as everyone present. Even Assassin of Black, true name, Jack the Ripper. And I intend to deliver that salvation with the Greater Grail."

"I've got the feeling that it's the sort of salvation most people wouldn't like," Harry said. "Besides, while I come from another world, I'm not exactly going to leave this one in the lurch…"

* * *

"…So, Darnic and his Lancer are dead?" Kairi asked.

Reika nodded. "The priest is going on some spiel about how he will bring salvation to humanity. He sounds like some well-intentioned villain from a video game. I get the feeling there's going to be fighting soon. Well?"

Drake nodded. "I've got an idea. Until now, we've been keeping just out of range of the Hanging Gardens, trying to do our best impression of a pilot fish. But I've not been idle. While destroying it's out of the question, both in terms of firepower and safety…well, I think crippling it ain't out of the question. Mordred, I'm gonna angle the _Golden Hind_ at an area where I think one of the main engines is, so to speak."

"I can't tell if that thing has any engines," Sirius said.

"Trust me, I've had a weather eye out for where the mana output for levitation and flight is. It's hard to find for a Servant who doesn't know magecraft, but a ship is a ship. As a Rider, I can potentially ride any vehicle, and that comes with some knowledge about it. When I unleash my Noble Phantasm, Mordred, use yours as well. We're going to bring that ostentatious doom fortress right back down to Earth!"

Mordred grinned her usual feral grin. "You're speaking my language, Drake!"

Drake angled the _Hind_ so that it was aimed at a particular part of the outer ring of the Hanging Gardens. Concerned, Sirius asked, "Hey, will Harry and Sieg be all right?"

"Demolishing that part of the Hanging Gardens will cause it to basically crash-land, but if my calculations are correct, the descent will be slow enough that, unless debris falls on him, he's going to walk away from that."

"And if they aren't correct?!" Sirius demanded.

"…Then get Assassin to warn them to get out of there. They can hitch a ride on Astolfo's Hippogriff, right?" Then, Drake grinned, pulling out a pair of flintlock pistols. "Get ready, Mordred!"

Mordred nodded, raising Clarent to the sky and charging it up, a pillar of blood-red energy spiking into the air. "Okay, ready when you are!"

"GOLDEN WILD HUNT!" Drake roared, firing off her flintlock pistols, and unleashing the cannon barrage, energy bolts spitting out.

"CLARENT BLOOD ARTHUR!" Mordred howled, unleashing a blood-red beam of energy that merged and fused with the beams of the Golden Wild Hunt. Apart, they were merely Anti-Army, but together, they merged into a weak Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.

But while weak by most standards of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, it was still a strong attack. It washed up against an energy barrier, before finally piercing through, causing a small part of the Hanging Gardens to shatter into rubble. At first, it seemed like nothing had happened, beyond some noticeable damage. But then, gradually, the Hanging Gardens began to list and tilt, before it began to descend, small explosions beginning to sprout along key points of the Hanging Gardens.

"Yes!" Drake yelled, pumping her fist. "That shot was one in a million! We've overloaded the system, and thrown the entire levitation system out of whack! She's going down faster than Francis Walsingham during a drinking contest! You're like Icarus flying too close to the Sun! OFF WITH YOUR WINGS!"

"Yahoo!" Mordred hollered, doing a little victory dance on the deck. "Eat shit and die, you stupid hag! Impregnable my arse!"

"Impregnable's one of those crappy words like unsinkable," Kairi said.

"…What's wrong with the word 'unsinkable'?" Reika asked, bemused.

"…Nothing, said the iceberg to the Titanic," Kairi remarked(1). "Oi, Drake, do you think it's descending safely? It may be descending slowly, but it's one big fortress crashing to the ground, and I'm not sure what the impact will do. My knowledge of the physics of plane crashes is admittedly shaky."

"They'll be fine," Drake said nonchalantly.

* * *

"THIS IS NOT FINE!" Harry yelled, swaying as the corridor tilted, helping Sieg keep his footing.

Shirou whirled to see what looked like a holographic image displaying a very frustrated Semiramis. "What happened?!" Shirou demanded.

"_That damned Rider and Saber!_" Semiramis snarled. "_I was paying more attention to the fight against the vampire, and while I was distracted, they fired on the Hanging Gardens with their Noble Phantasms simultaneously! One of them must have figured out where one of the key levitation outputs were! We're going to crash! I can't use the redundant levitation outputs to compensate because the attack has disrupted everything! There is a failure cascade across the whole system!_"

Shirou, after a moment staring incredulously at Semiramis' image, began to chuckle. That chuckle grew into gales of laughter. It wasn't quite mirth. It wasn't actually despair. It was certainly not rage. It just seemed to be a catharsis, making noise against the sheer ridiculousness and absurdity, as far as he saw it, of the situation.

Astolfo, however, seemed to be fine with not looking a gift horse in the mouth. He summoned his Hippogriff. "Sieg, Harry, hop on!"

The two did so, and they began flying off, Jackie, Eve, Jeanne and Chiron following them. While they would return to the Hanging Gardens, they didn't want to be on it when it crashed. The Servants might be fine, but Harry was very much human, and Sieg, while he had the power of a Servant within him, still had the physical frailty of a human.

As they flew out, they saw the _Golden Hind_ cruising just below. The quartet of Servants escaping on foot leapt down onto the deck with little effort, while Astolfo brought the Hippogriff down, leapt off it, and struck a cute little pose. "Nailed it!"

Harry and Sieg hopped down. "What kind of insane plan was that?" Sieg demanded.

"Well…it was worthy of being in the Marauders," Sirius said sheepishly. "I could say we don't get allies caught in the crossfire, but, well…anyway, Drake was the one who thought it up."

"By the way, landlubbers, you might want to batten down the hatches," Drake said, looking singularly unrepentant. If anything, she looked ecstatic, her teeth bared in a feral grin. "The Hanging Gardens are about to crash-land. Even with magecraft involved, there's gonna be one hell of a shockwave and dust. Thankfully, there's no civilians in the way, but Trifas is probably gonna get reeeallll dusty for the next few days…"

Harry steadied himself on a railing, Eve holding him steady, with Astolfo doing the same to Sieg. The gathered Masters and Servants watched as the Hanging Gardens came slowly, but still terminally, crashing down to earth.

Harry remembered watching snatches of _Doctor Who_ while Dudley and Petunia watched them. Admittedly, it was from the cupboard, or else while he snuck out of his bedroom to watch from the stairs, but it was on the days when Vernon was working late, and thus couldn't berate them for watching 'fantasy muck'. In truth, Harry suspected, in hindsight, that Vernon was having an affair, though who would be willing to have an affair with that moustachioed walrus, he had no idea.

Anyway, he remembered seeing a few spaceships crashland in _Doctor Who_ repeats, and they were nothing like what happened. This was both slower and yet faster, the bottom part of the massive fortress digging out a massive gouge in the countryside, as if trying to rival Spartacus' own efforts in landscaping. Soon, that part of it gave up the battle against the ground, and broke away, and Drake had to steer the _Golden Hind_ around it.

Drake laughed, the mirth having malice and perhaps a touch of insanity to it. "Better than burning all those ships at Cadiz!" she yelled in near-orgasmic delight. "What's singeing the King of Spain's beard compared to bringing down some haughty Assyrian Assassin bitch's flying fortress?!"

"Your Servant is fucking nuts!" Kairi yelled at Sirius.

"My entirely family is fucking nuts! That must be why I summoned her!" Sirius retorted. "Believe me, if my cousin Bella had Drake's powers, this entire area would be a smoking crater!"

"That's not reassuring!" Jeanne yelled, her composure shaken.

"Buck up, landlubbers!" Drake called. "Sailing's filled with hardships! I can tell you never went out to sea, Jeanne d'Arc!"

"This isn't the sea! This is insanity!" the Ruler retorted, Sieg nodding his agreement.

"And yet, I just brought down that bitch's toy!" Drake cheered. And it was true. The Hanging Gardens were grinding to a halt, throwing up a massive cloud of dust and dirt, the noise having the sound of a roaring beast, wounded terminally. Which, in a manner, it was. The very ground shook and trembled, as did the deck beneath their feet. Triumphantly, she roared, "I JUST SANK HER BATTLESHIP!"

"Drake…I can't believe I'm saying this, but calm the actual fuck down," Sirius said. "Besides, we've won the battle, not the war."

"…Sink me, I didn't take you for a killjoy, Sirius," Drake pouted.

"…He just wants you to turn your insanity down a notch," Eve said.

"…Eve? Hey, you can talk properly?" Mordred asked, surprised.

"…Yes. I was able to talk properly since Darnic attacked us," Eve said, looking surprised herself, as a delicate gloved hand touched her throat in wonder. Her voice was still a bit scratchy and even vaguely hoarse, from either disuse or simply growling and snarling. "I still have Madness Enhancement, I still have the anger and rage and the need to destroy my enemies. Indeed, it feels even stronger than before, but…maybe I broke through the limiters on my speech. Oh, finally! You know how damnably frustrating it was just to speak in grunts and broken sentences? It made me sound like an imbecile!"

"…You're not an imbecile, Eve," Harry said, putting a hand on the shoulder of the Berserker Servant. "And I'm glad you can talk. Saves me having to carry the notepad around, doesn't it?"

She turned, and gave him a smile. "I suppose so. Still…" The smile fell off her face as she looked at the crashed Hanging Gardens, mostly wreathed in a cloud of dust. "It's not over yet."

"No," Jeanne agreed. "Not by a long shot…"

**CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Well, there you go. Drake gambled, and managed to bring down the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. And Eve's got some newfound loquacity.**

**Now, while I was going to chalk that down to some bullshit excuse about the power of love, which it still is partially, a quick bit of research on the ****_Fate/Grand Order_**** wiki has yielded some surprising facts about various Berserkers. Generally, the ones who retain some sort of intelligence and coherent thought, even if they have some massive triggers (Penthesilea, for example, and anything relating to Achilles or calling her beautiful), either have low-ranking Madness Enhancement, or else ****_high-ranking_**** Madness Enhancement. Kiyohime, Minamoto-no-Raikou, Penthesilea, Florence Nightingale, Vlad III (in his Berserker form in ****_Fate/Grand Order_****)…these Berserkers all have EX-rank Madness Enhancement, and they're all intelligent and eloquent.**

**And now, as of Darnic attacking them, so does Eve. Her anger, combined with Harry's different form of magic and her own desire to be seen as more than a monster, has ironically boosted her Madness Enhancement so far, she's broken through the blocks on her speech (and gained more power as well, so while she won't be as brokenly powerful as, say, Heracles or Lancelot, she's certainly stronger than she was in ****_Fate/Apocrypha_**** canon). I mentioned before that, while I am aware of how the Saber version of Eve acts, I find her speech and attitude a bit disturbingly childish, preferring to model my version of Eve on the original version of Frankenstein's Monster from Mary Shelley's novel. Soulful, intelligent, and somewhat angsty, though Eve is also very much capable of happiness. I mean, she has a Master like Harry, who treats her like she is a person.**

**As for Drake's gamble, I'd considered doing something similar for a possible ****_Devil May Cry_**** crossover that had Dante summoning Drake. A ****_Devil May Cry_**** crossover is still on the cards, even if it's on the backburner, but Semiramis will probably rant against Drake in a manner I had considered for that story. Certainly Shirou laughing in a bout of hysteria due to his plans crashing down around him came from that. He's not giving up, but he was so confident that everything was going according to ****_keikaku_****…I mean plan, that having something come out of left field like this and blindsiding him…well, he rarely rages (I think he has maybe three massive rants, two against Jeanne and another against Sieg, two of which happen in the final battles), so I think laughing in sheer disbelief and shock is more likely.**

**Anyway, Drake only pulled it off because one, she had Moedred's help, two, she has EX rank Luck (if you don't believe me, look it up), and three, as a Rider, she'd have to have an eye for vehicles, and she could hazard a reasoned guess as to where weak points on the Hanging Gardens were. If you still say it's bullshit, well, tough. I am the author.**

**Now, I don't know when the next chapter will be out, after such a big and pivotal chapter. I've got to work out how the final battle will play out. If you're impatient for more Nasuverse goodies from me, well, I've been doing a lot of work on ****_My Beautiful Huntress_**** recently. It's the Potterverse/****_Fate/Apocrypha_**** fic I am most proud of, bluntly.**

**Review-answering time! ****Dragon Man 180****: Well, read the above.**

**Guest****: I honestly have no idea whether there is a canonical sunlight spell, and the last time I played a Potterverse video game was when I hired the Playstation version of ****_Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_**** a long time ago. I only got so far, and I have vague recollections of learning the Incendio spell, but I don't remember a sunlight spell.**

**Skull Flame****: If you want to start on the Nasuverse, then I recommend the anime version of ****_Fate/Zero_**** (avoid the manga like the plague unless you want to be scarred for life) or the TV version of ****_Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works_****. Those are the best of the ****_Fate_**** series for beginners. My other Potterverse/Nasuverse fics ****_Gorgon and Thanatos, Separated at Birth, Knight of Betrayal and Taiga Cub_****, and my ****_Thor_**** crossover ****_Light the Blue Touch Paper and Run Like Hell_**** are the most beginner friendly fanfics of mine to the Nasuverse. I can recommend other people's fics if you want. Just ask.**

**1\. Kairi and Reika's conversation is a reference to the Doctor and Harry Sullivan's conversation in ****_Doctor Who: Robot_****, when the Doctor is scoffing at the so-called impregnable defences of a storage warehouse.**


End file.
